ECHOES 



FROM 



THE LIVING GRAVE. 



BY A CONVICT 

IN 

SING-SING PRISON. 

WITH 

A SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE AND A NUMBER OF 
LETTERS FROM CONVICTS, ETC. 



"Jesus said unto them, They that are v/hole need not a physician; 
but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners 
to repentance." Luke 5:31, 32. 



NEW YORK: 
W. B. BODGE AND J. W. BEOWN, 

150 NASSAU-STREET. 
1869. 



BVv?25 



Enteked according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by Wm. 
B. Bodge, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United 
States for the Southern District of New York. 




rs 



Hi iff 



. v 

J 



TO 

ALL PRISONERS 

THIS 

VOLUME IS DEDICATED 

With the Prayer, 

THAT 

Tt may Prove a Beacon to Guide Them out op 
the Midnight Darkness 

of 
Sin and Unbelief 

INTO 

The Gloi\ious Light of the Gospel. 






Preface 




OBD, what wilt thou have me 
to do?" lias been the language of 
the writer of these pages for sev- 
eral years past. He is greatly re- 
joiced that although he is shut out 
from the world, the good Lord gave him 
something to do. 

On perusing these pages the reader will 
find that the glory of God's holy name and 
the salvation of sinners are the only object of 
the writer. 

He claims no literary merit, but as a sol- 
dier of the cross he means to wave its glori- 
ous banner as high as possible. 

The " Solitary Thoughts, Views, and Expe- 
rience," and "Letters" were penned in his 
lonely cell, during a period of several years, 



6 PREFACE. 

merely for private reference. The different 
"Statements of Conversion" were given by 
the brethren themselves, and were addressed 
partly to the chaplain and partly to the writer. 

It was not his intention to publish a sketch 
of his life, but his friends desired to know 
something about 

THE AUTHOE. 

Sing-Sing, October, 1868. 



p 



ONTENTS. 



Introduction page 9 

Autobiography of the Author - — 25 

Conversion of the Author 53 

Solitary Thoughts, Views, and Experience 68 

Letters from the American Botschafter 107 

Letter to Sister M - 113 

How to Become a Christian -- — 126 

The King of Love- 143 

Prayer the Key of Heaven 153 

The Convict's Prayer - 177 

Letters from Convicts - 179 

Prayer 250 



I 



NTRODUCTION 




HE reader may be interested to 
know something of the history 
of this little book — under what cir- 
cumstances it comes before the pub- 
lic, the author still being in prison. 
The following extract from a letter of the 
author will in part explain : 

" Please permit me to give you a brief his- 
tory of the ' Echoes from the Living Grave/ 
in which you seem so greatly interested, and 
for which I am truly thankful. 

" "When I first became acquainted with the 
Lord Jesus, November 6, 1862, I often, when 
in my cell alone, penciled such thoughts as 
occurred to my mind, for the sole purpose of 
beholding the state of my mind in its earnest 
love, and to ascertain from time to time wheth- 
er I am progressing in the divine life or not. 
It was not my desire that any one else should 
ever lay an eye upon them. One day last 

summer, however, Brother N entered the 

2 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

office, and found me perusing some pages, 
and desired to know the contents of them, 
and carried them off, and on returning them 
urged their publication. I laughed at this 
idea; but he insisted upon my continuing in 
the same strain, and preparing the manu- 
script for the press. Finally, I concluded 
that the good Lord and his people might be 
pleased to bless and accept the efforts of an 
humble and penitent sinner. In compliance 
with the request of those of my brethren w T ho 
favored me with their experience, I wrote the 
Autobiography, copied Solitary Thoughts and 
Letters, wrote a number of articles, and cop- 
ied the statements from the brethren. 

" Mr. S kindly informed me that some 

of your friends thought there were some bor- 
rowed passages in the manuscript. It is pos- 
sible that the charge against me is a right- 
eous one, but I am unconscious of any such 
transgression. I do not remember of having 
copied from other writers, except from the 
Bible and history. But as the thoughts were 
written years ago, and as my memory is im- 
perfect, it is likely that I am in the wrong. 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

Be it as it may, the thoughts expressed were 
the feelings of my soul when written. The 
quotations from history were intended to 
serve as illustrations, as for instance Alexan- 
der the Great, and Diogenes. But if you, or 
your kind friends, find any thing in it which 
might prove a stumbling-block, please reject 
it, that not evil but good may be produced 
by it. 

" It is said that there is nothing new under 
the sun. The words and thoughts there were 
written thousands of times by holy men and 
women before the present age ; but I believe 
have never been expressed by a convict, an 
outcast, an unworthy worm, and consequently 
it is something new. It is the production of 
God's Holy Spirit, through the instrumental- 
ity of one who loves his Saviour with every 
faculty of his soul which is burning for his 
glory, in spite of the most adverse circum- 
stances by which he is surrounded. • The 
angels in heaven smile upon it, and, I hope 
and trust, His people will not condemn it. It 
was written to induce Christians to praise 
God that some good things may be found 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

even in prisons. It was written for the bene- 
fit of the young and inexperienced— the weak 
in faith, but especially for the fallen. It will 
fulfil its mission if published. It will prove 
a blessing to many a prodigal, and gladden 
the heart of many a sorrowing child, to the 
glory of God. Doubtless it has many de- 
fects; but when you consider that I never 
received one hour's instruction in the English 
language, you will conclude with me that the 
Lord Jesus had a hand in it." 

In another letter he writes in reply to my 
proposal to take the manuscript to the Tract 
Society : 

"The idea of presenting the c Echoes' to 
the Tract Society for publication is exceed- 
ingly pleasing to me. I would ever be grate- 
ful if you could make the necessary arrange- 
ments. I love that heroic army. Through 
the instrumentality of their ' Do n't put it 
off,' I was led to reflect on my present and 
future state. If they publish it, it will find its 
way into every library in the land, and pris- 
oners will get their portion. 

" The book is yours. I only desire a copy 



INTRODUCTION. 13 

in print of it. If this cannot be, then I would 
like to retain the original. It is dear to me. 
I have prayed and wept over it." 

I have accepted it in trust. The Tract 
Society do not issue the book. They kindly 
have it printed at their office, which was all I 
desired. It is published by subscription, and 
will be sent gratis into every prison through- 
out the length and breadth of our land, pro- 
vided sufficient funds can be raised for the 
purpose ; that all whom the author especially 
hopes and prays may be benefited by it, may 
have the opportunity to read it, and learn what 
the gospel can do for their benighted souls. 

Realizing how much it has done for him- 
self, is it slrange that he should desire the 
same for others? Willing to lay bare the 
secrets of his inmost soul, showing how great 
was his depravity, how deeply dyed in tress- 
passes and sin, how hard is the way of the 
transgressor; and willing to be known as an 
outcast from the pale of society, a felon in 
a state-prison, with nothing of this world's 
goods, with no prospect before him but in 
the humblest walks of life should he live to 



14 INTRODUCTION. 

be released, would tliis be the way to glorify 
himself? I think not. "When we come in 
his history to his regeneration, to God he 
gives all the glory, disclaiming any merit of 
his own. Feeling as a little child who has 
grievously offended his parent but is now 
reconciled, the loving heart is overflowing 
with gratitude towards God and man for the 
mercy vouchsafed to him. 

This book speaks of God's holiest myste- 
ries; the influence of the Holy Spirit to 
awaken, to convince, and to convert the sinful 
soul and bring it into harmony with the All- 
perfect. The angels in heaven have rejoiced 
over these repentant ones, and let no man 
dare speak lightly of them. A vt>ice speaks 
through these pages, heed it, and "don't put 
it off." The same voice which stilled the 
raging waves of Gennesaret, stills the rough 
waves of the troubled soul, and can bring 
peace and contentment even in a prison. 
That peace and contentment are worth your 
seeking, "Seek, and ye shall find." 

The chaplain* of the prison, writes: "The 

* Rev. J. B. Smith. 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

place where the thoughts contained in this 
little work originated, and where these expe- 
riences were realized, has been familiar to me 
in the labors of the past three years, and the 
greater part of what is herein contained in 
relation to the prison and its inmates has 
passed under my immediate observation. "We 
have here presented earnest and honest ex- 
pressions of what has been known and felt of 
the grace of God abounding to the chief of 
sinners even in prison. 

" Stone walls and iron doors furnish no bar- 
rier to this grace. Men and women are here 
shut out from the pale of society, but not 
from the mercy of Him who hears the groan- 
ings of the prisoner and looses those who are 
appointed unto death. 

"There have been witnessed enough of the 
displays of divine grace to satisfy me that 
the jail of Philippi is not the only prison 
where that grace has been displayed. Like 
Paul and Silas, the prisoners of Sing-Sing 
prison have prayed and sung praises, and the 
Lord heard them. 

"Every Sunday morning from 1,200 to 1,400 



16 INTRODUCTION. 

prisoners assemble in the prison chapel, where 
service is held: singing, prayer, reading the 
Scriptures, and a sermon preached; and no 
more attentive and appreciative audience need 
be sought for in any of the Christian churches 
than this, comprising men of every nationali- 
ty, convicted of almost every known crime. 
Among them are Protestants, Catholics, Infi- 
dels, Gentiles and Jews, paying an outward 
respect to the worship; in each of which 
classes the gospel has been the power of 
God unto salvation to them that believe. 
To many of them 'the story of the cross' 
is comparatively, if not entirely, new. Few 
of them have frequented the sanctuary, and 
the notes of the gospel have not become dull 
sounds to their ears. They have gone far- 
ther down in the steps of vice, and plunged 
deeper into crime, as a class, than others; 
but when they are shut up to their own re- 
flections, and find that for all their risks 
and anxieties, all they have to show is their 
prison-stripes and a commission to hard labor 
without wages for a term of years, many of 
them are in a frame of mind to be directed 



INTRODUCTION. 17 

to something which is more substantial and 
which fades not aw ay ; and just here the notes 
of the gospel come in to awaken the slumber- 
ing conscience, to arouse from sin and guilt, 
and the very newness of the gospel story 
gives it additional efficacy and power. 

"Prayer -meetings are another power for 
good in the prison. Prayers here are as devout 
and earnest as ascend anywhere from Chris- 
tian temples. Confession of sin seems heart- 
felt and sincere, and words of genuine Chris- 
tian experience indicate that the hearts of many 
have been wrought upon by the truth, and 
regenerated by the power of God. The heav- 
ens have often seemed to bow very low to 
that group of willing worshipers within prison 
walls, as their prayers have climbed from 
the lowest depths of the inner prison to the 
throne of God. 

"To the inquirer seeking the way of life, 
these meetings have been a bright and shi- 
ning way, where they have spent the best 
hours of their life. They have been garden- 
spots in this otherwise desert, where the wil- 
derness and desolate place has blossomed as 



Echoes. 



18 INTRODUCTION. 

the rose. They have been in this ' valley of 
Achor' as a 'door of hope' leading out into 
a large and wealthy place, the place on earth 
which some have found nearest heaven. If 
the walls of the prison have not been shaken 
and the doors thrown open, the walls of infi- 
delity have crumbled down and stony hearts 
have been broken, witnessing again that the 
prayer-meeting which w^as held by Paul and 
Silas in the jail at Philippi was not the only 
effectual prayer-meeting ever held in pris- 
on. 

"The personal incidents and experiences 
narrated are some of the clusters of the vine 
which creeps along under the shadow of pris- 
on walls, many more of which might be 
brought : sufficient, however, are given to sat- 
isfy any one who carefully considers them, 
that there are no places so desolate but the 
vine of the Lord's planting may flourish there. 

" It is not claimed that the cases noted are 
all of them genuine conversions, though of the 
most of them there is no more than ordinary 
reason to doubt ; nor that the most judicious 
selections have always been made. The au- 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

thor and compiler has exercised his own judg- 
ment in a comparatively narrow range of ob- 
servation, it being generally known that the 
freedom of intercourse is not very extended 
among prisoners within the walls of a prison. 
It is safe to say that the cases selected bear 
an honest record as far as human judgment 
can discern, though it would be nothing sur- 
prising if the future of some of them should 
show that they had misapplied the grace of 
God, and as a consequence, had failed of be- 
ing established in the regeneration, or being 
begotten into newness of life in Christ Jesus. 
" This is a first effort in conveying thoughts 
to others through such a channel, and is not 
to be judged by its literary finish, but rather 
as the outgoings of a soul overflowing with 
the sentiments expressed, and prompted by a 
desire to glorify God, in making his own ex- 
perience and that of others in like condition 
with himself, a means of salvation, especially 
to those who, like them, are shut up in prison. 
There will be found, however, a freshness of 
thought and originality of expression which, 
in connection with the circumstances under 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

which the book was written and the condition 
and character of the person by whom it was 
written, will doubtless give an interest in it to 
very many. My earnest prayer is that it may 
prove what the preaching of the gospel was 
designed to be, deliverance to the captive and 
opening the prison to them that are bound. 

" The writer of these pages makes no pre- 
tensions to being an accomplished writer or 
scholar. Had he ever been either, seven 
years of prison service is not calculated to 
enhance literary culture; and being or be- 
coming a good mechanic is no guarantee 
against grammatical inaccuracies, either of 
construction or language." 

The first intention was to have the book 
published precisely as it was written, but by 
advice it is revised, only to make verbal cor- 
rections where the author has misused a w r ord, 
(which even an educated foreigner might do,) 
and to abridge where there has been a redun- 
dancy. The construction of the sentences, 
the arrangement, etc., are all his own. Not 
even his friend who recommended its publi- 
cation, nor the chaplain has read the whole 



INTRODUCTION. 21 

of it — it comes to me fresh from his hand, 
dictated, as he says, by the Holy Spirit. 

A work " begun, continued, and ended in 
prayer," may be useful not only to those 
hapless ones within the walls of a prison, 
but to those whose foot has never touched a 
prison floor. It may be the means of guid- 
ing many a footstep within those drear walls, 
w T here words can be spoken to grateful hear- 
ers, that will tell in time and in eternity. 
There are hearts within those walls craving 
Christian love and sympathy, and shall we 
stand aloof from any place where our blessed 
Master commands us to go, fearing that we 
may be soiled by contact with the erring? 
We go to impart light, not to receive dark- 
ness ; and if we go in faith and prayer, w e 
shall not come out less pure, but shall go 
forth with blessings from grateful hearts 
that will not forget the small sacrifice we 
make. 

"Lord, lead the way the Saviour went, 
By lane and cell obscure ; 
And let our treasures still be spent, 
Like his, among the poor. 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

"Like him, through scenes of deep distress, 
Who bore the world's sad weight ; 
We, in their gloomy loneliness, 
Would seek the desolate." 

I willingly stand sponsor for this little waif 
that in God's providence lias fallen into my 
hands; nothing fearing, nothing doubting — 
only ashing, Come, and work in the field 
where "the harvest truly is plenteous, but 
the laborers are few." We ask no earthly 
recompense or approval, but if hereafter we 
hear these words addressed to us, shall we 
not be ten thousandfold repaid ? 

" Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- 
dation of the world. For I was a hungered, 
and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye 
gave me drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took 
me in ; naked, and ye clothed me ; I was sick, 
and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye 
came unto me." Matt. 25 :34, 35, 36. 

* * ft 

New York, January, 1869. 



" Think gently of tlie erring one, 
Oh, let us not forget, 
However darkly stained by sin, 
He is our brother yet. 

"Heir of the same inheritance, 
Child of the self-same God ; 
He hath but stumbled in the path 
"We have in weakness trod. 

" Speak gently to the erring ones, 
We yet may lead them back, 
With holy words and tones of love, 
From misery's thorny track. 

" Forget not, brother, thou hast sinned, 
And sinful yet mayst be ; 
Deal gently with the erring heart, 
As God hath dealt by thee." 




ECHOES 

FKOM 

THE LIVING GRATE. 




Autobiography. 



"WAS born December 1, 1831, 
in O , Canton Z , Switzer- 



land, the youngest son of Jacob and 

Barbarie M . My father was a 

turner by trade, and was esteemed 
for his honesty and industry. He managed 
to support his family of five children, and 
procure a moderate education for them. Ac- 
cording to the laws of the country, when six 
years old I was sent to school, and soon be- 

4 



26 ECHOES 

came a favorite of my teacher. The prayers 
of a godly mother and an affectionate father 
accompanied me, and my days were pleasant. 
But my blooming career was not to last long. 
The angel of death broke into my father's 
dwelling, and carried off the light and hope 
of the house. Before I saw eight summers 
our guardian angel, an amiable and affection- 
ate mother, had gone to another land, never 
more to return. The sorrow and anguish of 
my heart can only be imagined by those who 
have been similarly afflicted. Before this 
wound was healed, the messenger of death 
knocked at the same door again, and at the 
age of nine years I was an orphan. Our 
home was broken up. Henry, the eldest, en- 
listed under the banner of the king of Naples. 
Barbarie, the second, intended to go as house- 
keeper. John, the third, was to be sent as 
apprentice to a tailor. The youngest, Magda- 
line, was to be sent to her godfather's, and I 
was to go to a rich uncle at some distance 
from home. 

The day for breaking up the family circle, 
the dearest ties, arrived but too soon. A 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 27 

pious aunt was present, seeking to soothe the 
broken hearts of her deceased brother's chil- 
dren. She took each one by the hand, spoke 
to them most affectionately of the one thing 
needful, and bore them in prayer to him who 
promised to be a Father to the fatherless. It 
was a most impressive and solemn scene to 
every one, and for the last time I bade the 
loved ones good-night. At an early hour, 
July 28, 1842, the family was assembled for 
the last time. Prayer was offered; after 
which Aunt Elizabeth again endeavored to 
lead us to Him " who tempers the wind to the 
shorn lamb." At seven o'clock we parted, 
sobbing and weeping, some of us never again 
to meet, except perhaps in that land where 
parting is no more. Sister Barbarie consent- 
ed to see the two youngest taken care of. 
The scene which now ensued — at the final 
bidding farewell to our dear home, to all those 
sweet places of childhood — I cannot describe. 
My heart was broken. Sad and weary, we 
started for our new destinv. After four hours' 

walk we arrived at Uncle "W 's, but found 

the house closed. It was harvest-time, and 



28 ECHOES 

all hands were engaged in the field; so we 

went to Godfather W 's, who was at his 

post, teaching school. He received us very 
kindly, and with a father's affection sought to 
disperse our sorrow. Magdaline was received 
as a member of the family. In the evening 
we returned to Uncle W 's, and w r ere ad- 
mitted by an elderly lady, who, after setting 
wine and bread before us, with the request to 
help ourselves, disappeared to prepare supper 
for a number of day-laborers, who, an hour 
later, gathered around a long and well-laden 
table. An hour later I was dreaming sweet 
dreams of our former home, and my sorrow- 
ful heart enjoyed an hour's rest. Early the 
next morning I was aroused, and descending 
the stairs I found my sister getting ready to 
leave, so as to enter on her engagement. 
Another parting scene, a last "God bless 
you!" and I was left alone. Never shall I 
forget that moment of anguish and agony, 
separated from my last friend, from all my 
former ties, from all those I so dearly loved. 
I found myself a stranger in a strange house. 
Only he can sympathize with me who lias 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 29 

been through the same bitter ordeal, wlio lias 
had the same history to relate. 

Thrown altogether into new surroundings, 
I was hardly able to form an idea of my pres- 
ent condition, not even knowing my relations. 

It was a busy time, all hands were engaged 
outdoors; so I w T ent and assisted in harvest- 
ing. All was new to me. I heard many 
rough and profane words uttered. Finally, 
Sunday arrived, and I saw my uncle and his 
family for the first time gathered at the break- 
fast-table. It consisted of four persons. At 
the head of the table sat a man of about 
forty-five years of age, with a hardened and 
somewhat repulsive countenance. He was 
my uncle. Every other word he spoke w r as a 
profane one, and terrible it was for me to lis- 
ten to his fearful oaths. My aunt, who had 
so far ministered to my wants, was of the 
same nature, and proved to be very fond of 
strong drink, especially of pure white grape 
brandy, in which she, w r henever there w T as an 
opportunity, so freely indulged, that she really 
became intoxicated. Besides, she used snuff 
very extensively. Another person was a 



30 ECHOES 

brother of ray uncle, of the same type and 
mould, yet even more fierce and repulsive in 
his manners and actions. The last at thS table 
was my cousin John, uncle and aunt's only 
son. He was altogether different in his ways 
and manner from the old people. He was 
about twenty years of age, very kind and gen- 
tle. No servants were kept. The work was 
done by themselves and day-laborers, who 
were of the same stamp— profane men. 

Surrounded by such a world, I soon became 
acquainted with bad boys, and ere long I was 
the ringleader of a band of young ruffians, 
who delighted in tormenting man and beast 
and doing all the mischief they possibly could. 
Let me give you but one specimen of it. 

It was on a fine Sunday afternoon in Janu- 
ary, 1846, that I invited a number of young 
girls to what is there called a sleighing party. 
They all consented, and we went out to a 
neighboring hill, where I procured a sleigh 
without leave from a farmer's barn. It was 
large enough to accommodate all. I pulled 
it up the hill, and the girls followed. Arriving 
at the top, they mounted the sleigh, while I 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 31 

took my place at the helm, started it, and 
down we went at full speed, arriving safely at 
the bottom. This they considered great sport, 
and meant to enjoy it all the afternoon. I 
repeated my trips half a dozen times, and all 
went off well. But now I concluded to have 
a little fun of my own. At the bottom of the 
hill, close to the road, was a small pond, and 
I concluded to give them a slight dipping. 
Before starting the next time I gave them 
good encouragement, and induced them to 
sing a song ; and so we started in good spirits. 
I kept on the side of the pond, and on our 
arrival there gave the sleigh a jerk, and jump- 
ing beside it, my precious load went into the 
water. I was so greatly delighted that I sat 
down in the snow to have an easy and perfect 
view of these unfortunate creatures crawling 
out of the water. Some of them submitted to 
their lot quietly, while others upbraided me for 
my mischief, who in their turn were treated 
with snowballs, following them up to the doors 
of their dwellings. The six years I remained 
at my uncle's were filled with such adventures 
that I became the terror of every household. 



32 ECHOES 

About the 1st of April, 1848, 1 concluded to 
try my fortune elsewhere. When making my 
intention known to my uncle, he would not 
even answ 7 er me, and in vain did I look for a 
parting present, having served him faithfully 
for so many years for nothing more than my 
necessary clothing. I packed up my few 
things, and bade them adieu. I obtained a 
situation on a farm about eleven miles from 

Uncle W 's, at ten dollars a year. But 

soon I found that my acquired manners and 
habits did not give satisfaction, and ere long 
I was quarrelling wdth my employer and his 
wife. I left them after two months. "While 
walking on some two miles I was fortunate 
enough to meet a farmer who wanted help. 
He was an elderly gentleman, and his wife 
proved a mother to me, and I felt more at 

home than at my uncle W 's. After 

serving with satisfaction about three months, 
my brother John, whom I had not seen since 
that sorrowful morning when the family was 
dispersed, visited me unexpectedly, and told 
me that he was determined to emigrate to 
America, and insisted upon my accompanying 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 33 

liim. I was well pleased with this proposi- 
tion, for America was always presented to me 
as the land where milk and honey flow. 
"But how is it about means?" I inquired. 
" Oh," said he, " I will apply to some of our 
wealthy relatives ; they will and must advance 
us the necessary sum." He went to work, but 
with little success. He became discouraged, 
when suddenly a well-dressed stranger called 

at Uncle W 's for information of the two 

youngest sons of the late Jacob M . On 

hearing this, brother John immediately made 
his way to uncle's place, and found the stran- 
ger, who proved to be an intimate friend of 
Uncle M of Baltimore, Maryland, Amer- 
ica. We were well pleased to learn that this 
messenger was commissioned by Uncle M— — 
in Baltimore, to induce us, if possible, to 
emigrate. We were ready. Our friend offered 
to pay expenses, which uncle could repay on 
our arrival there. On leaving my employer, 
he, after paying my wages, kindly presented 
me with a few heavy silver pieces. 

On the 10th of September, 1848, we, in 
company of our friend and six more young 

Echoes. O 



34 ECHOES 

comrades, with hearts full of joy and hope, 
and great expectations, bade farewell to the 
Swiss Alps. We arrived in Havre on the 
17th, and sailed on the 1st of October in the 
French ship Argo for New York. Before 
even land disappeared I was taken sea-sick — 
a disease not very pleasant to a mountain 
boy. This complaint increased as we ad- 
vanced upon the waves, and I more than once 
would fain have exchanged my condition, even 
if to return to my uncle's house. About the 
fourth day my stomach seemed exhausted, 
and was apparently ready to receive nourish- 
ment, and in a few days I was restored. My 
comrades, who were likewise overtaken by 
this sea monster, were also improving, and we 
had a good time. On the night of the 22d, 
after a severe storm of three days and nights, 
and near our journey's end, the vessel received 
a very heavy blow. The passengers gener- 
ally — three hundred and fifty in number — were 
greatly frightened; judgment-day seemed to 
be at hand. Some were thrown out of their 
beds; some cried to St. Mary and other 
saints, some to Jesus, and others to God. 



FROM THE LIVING GEAYE. 35 

On examination it was found that a schooner 
had run against us, making a hole of about 
six by ten feet just above water. If the 
stornil had lasted but one hour longer, our 
condition would have been hopeless. The 
schooner, it was said, was dashed to pieces, 
and its crew and cargo lost. 

November 1st we were in New York. The 
following day Brother John and myself part- 
ed from our friends, and arrived at our uncle's 
residence in Baltimore, Md., on the 3d. 

Here we met with kind and sympathizing 
hearts ; and for once in my life I felt comfort- 
able and almost at home, and resolved to 
stay for a time ; while Brother John followed 
his occupation as a tailor. The family con- 
sisted of three members, father, mother, and 
son. Cousin Henry was almost as wild as 
myself. We soon got to fighting, and uncle 
concluded to separate us. He advised me to 
learn a trade, and proposed that of shoema- 
king. After some reluctance I consented, and 
was installed as an apprentice of this worthy 
craft. This trade, however, did not suit me, 
and after a few months' stay I left my boss, 



36 ECHOES 

without notifying him or my uncle. I then 
went to a confectioner ; but my wages in this 
branch ($2 50 per month) were not sufficient 
for the wants of a youngster of eighteen years, 
and I left him after three months' service. 
From there I went to another confectioner, 
where I received $3 per month, served him 
two months, and bade him farewell, telling 
him that the business did not agree with my 
health. This time I took a fancy to cabinet- 
making; applied at a large furniture manu- 
factory on Gay-street, and was accepted. 

The first four months passed off well. My 
task was to ride out with the driver, deliver- 
ing furniture and other goods ; but when put 
to the bench to work, I desired a change, 
which was procured by playing off sick. As 
expected, my employer asked me if I could n't 
work in the finishing rooms, learning the 
branched of varnishing and upholstering. 
This was my heart's desire, and I readily 
cor^ented. In these branches I progressed 
rapidly, was looked upon as a good boy, and 
my wages were soon raised to $4 per week. 
Things went on exceedingly well for some six 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 37 

months, when one day my boss entered the 
varnish room somewhat intoxicated, and found 
fault with my work. Knowing him to be in 
the wrong, I protested, and was knocked 
down. Without saying another word, I took 
my cap and jacket and left. The next day I 
obtained employment as journeyman finisher 
at another establishment at a dollar per day. 
A few days after, my old boss met me, and 
said he was very sorry for what he had done 
to me, and desired me to return. I yielded 
and returned; but things would not work 
right now. I had been a journeyman, and 
could no longer be used as a boy. I applied 
for higher wages, but failed. 

Ten hours I spent industriously in the 
workshop ; ten more were consumed in eating 
and sleeping. But what was I to do with the 
remaining four hours? This was a question 
hard to solve, for the theatre, saloons, beer- 
shops, and other vicious places were inviting 
me all around — temptations which no young 
man unregenerated can withstand. In the 
mean time Brother John became sick, and 
was advised by his physician to remove to a 



38 ECHOES 

warmer climate. He at once decided to make 
Savannah, Ga., his home. According to pre- 
vious arrangement he called on my employer, 
and told him that I was now of age, and 
desired an honorable discharge, which » was 
refused. This, however, did not hinder us in 
our undertaking ; and in a few clays more we 
sailed for the sunny South. The company, 
not including crew, captain, his wife,- and child, 
consisted of four male passengers, three of 
whom expected much from a change of air. 
The voyage, which lasted ten days, was very 
pleasant to all. After arriving at our desti- 
nation, and securing comfortable quarters, we 
sought and found employment; and for the 
first time I earned mechanics' wages, $20 per 
week. 

One evening, while sitting alone in the bar- 
room, reading a paper and consuming a cigar, 
a person on the opposite sid.e of the room, 
whose eyes had been upon me for some time, 
arrested my attention. His head was covered 
with an old, torn Kossuth hat, the brim nearly 
resting on his copper nose. His eyes remind- 
ed me of those of Uncle W , fierv. His 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 39 

features were the features of a drunkard. 
His body was covered with some filthy rags. 
His home seemed to be the dram-shop, street, 
and gutter. After a while he arose, and with 
faltering steps approached me. I expected a 
fight, and mustered up my courage, but still 
assumed a friendly attitude. He drew near, 
and in a very pleasant way said : 

"My young friend, wont you take some- 
thing with me?" 

"No, I thank you. I never drink except 
when thirsty, and have just had my tea," was 
my answer. 

"Never drink!" exclaimed he, somewhat 
astonished. 

"No," I repeated, "I never drink except 
when I am thirsty, and then it is lemonade or 
soda water. I don't appreciate the life in 
which you seem to glory;" in the mean time 
perusing my paper, paying little attention to 
him. Silence prevailed for a minute. At last 
our eyes met, mine betraying indifference, 
while his were filled with precious pearls. 

""Young man," said he, as tears ran down 
his cheeks — he was a man of about forty-five 



40 ECHOES 

years — "young man, will you permit me to be 
your friend ?" 

I shook my head, saying, "I don't believe 
in friends. It is an article I have never met 
with, and doubt its existence." On the whole, 
I gave him to understand how poorly I appre- 
ciated a drunkard's friendship, and disliking 
intrusion, I took my hat and left the house for 
a walk. About eleven o'clock I returned, and 
found the mysterious stranger where I left 
him four hours previously. Conrad, the bar- 
tender, a so-called friend of mine, informed 
me that this man inquired about me a num- 
ber of times, and had resolved to await my 
return. I, however, managed to escape his 
attention, and retired for the night. The next 
day at noon he met me again at my board- 
ing-house, and insisted on paying for drinks. 
I consented, provided he would take some- 
thing light. He agreed. The dinner-bell 
rang. I excused myself, and followed its 
sound. After dinner was over I left the house 
unnoticed, and went to work. In the evening- 
he was at his post again, and this time I found 
it hard to shake him off. He appeared sober 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 41 

and decent. Among other things lie told me 
that he lived in Boston, Mass., and would sail 
for home on the morrow at six o'clock p. M., 
and desired me to accompany him, and make 
his house my home, and he would be an affec- 
tionate father to me ; and he assured me that 
I would soon learn to love his only daughter,, 
and I should be a wealthy and happy man all 
my life. His sweet words, however, made no 
impression on my mind, and setting forth an 
especial appointment for the hour, I bade 
him good-night. The next day I was late for 
dinner, and made my way direct to the dining- 
room. Here I was told that a gentleman 
wished to see me at the bar-room. I went 
there immediately, and Conrad introduced me 
to a finely dressed and noble-looking man, 
saying, " Jake, this gentleman has been wait- 
ing for you some time." At which the visitor 
arose from his seat, extending his hand to me 
with, " My young friend !" Before this I was 
rather surprised; but hearing his faltering 
voice, I recognized in him my old intruder, 
and although somewhat astonished, I felt at 
ease. Again he opened his batteries of affec- 



42 ECHOES 

tion upon me, and sought to persuade me to 
surrender to him. He repeated his language 
of last night, and added that his better half 
died a few months ago, that he came South 
partly on mercantile business, and partly to 
disperse his grief, which he failed to accom- 
,plish in a two weeks' spree. He offered me 
references on the best houses in Savannah, in 
order to carry his point ; but I turned a deaf 
ear to his entreaties. Finally, when finding 
himself unsuccessful, he desired to know the 
cause of my refusal. I pointed to my sick 
brother in another part of the room, and told 
him that I meant to be with the patient until 
the end. He seemed pleased with the an- 
swer, and after a moment's pause he said with 
a joyful countenance, "My young friend, I 
have adopted your mode of drinking. I will 
drink only when I am thirsty, and then it 
shall be something light;" and we parted. 

My brother's health did not improve, and 
he sought relief in the interior. A few weeks 
afterwards I followed him to Augusta, Ga, 
Here also he was failing, and in a few weeks 
more we went to Columbia, S. C. He re- 



FKOM THE LIVING GRiVE. 43 

mained here only a month, and meant to 
return to Baltimore. On reaching Charles- 
town, S. C, he found himself incapable to 
proceed to the hospital, where he lingered 
but a few days, and died. 

Unable to find employment in Columbia, I 
took the cars to Augusta, and from there to 
Atlanta, Ga., and to Montgomery, Ala., sup- 
posing my brother to have arrived safely in 
Baltimore and be cared for by his friends. 
My intention was to go to New Orleans, but 
arriving at Montgomery, my money was spent, 
and I was compelled to take a situation as 
bar-tender at $12 per month. Saving two 
months' wages, I returned to Savannah. When 
• I reached there I was penniless. After much 
exertion I obtained a boarding-house, and 
also employment at the Central Bailrood up- 
holstering seats for passenger-cars. After I 
was settled, I despatched a letter to Baltimore 
concerning brother John, and in a few days 
received the sad news of his death. Doubt- 
ing the news, I started for Charleston, and 
found his baggage and his grave. I was com- 
fortless, and sought relief among my friends 



44 ECHOES 

in Baltimore. But again my funds dimin- 
ished, and I returned to Savannah.. Finding 
my former situation filled, I went as bar- 
tender for $18 per month. It was a hard 
place, fights occurring almost daily, and sev- 
eral times I had pistols snapped at me. After 
some months I started a concern of my own, 
consisting of a grocery store and bar-room. 
Things went on well. About six months after, 
the place burned down. I resorted to my 
trade again. In the mean time I applied for 
the insurance on the place, $500. Payment 
was delayed, and I commenced a suit against 
the company, which was finally lost, with 
several hundred dollars additional expenses. 
In a few months more I concluded to work 
for others no longer, but go on my own hook 
again. About midsummer, 1854, I opened 
an upholstering shop. Just as I was well 
established the yellow-fever broke out. Who- 
ever could raise money left the city, and I 
would have followed, but my last dollar was 
invested in my store, and I had to stay. No 
business was transacted in the city for several 
months, except by undertakers. The number 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 45 

of deaths increased to sixty-two per day. 
Just at this time I was overtaken by the ter- 
rible epidemic, but was yet able to inform a 
neighbor of my condition. Very soon he was 
at my side with a hot foot-bath, calomel, mus- 
tard, ice, snakeroot and salt boiled together, 
and gruel. He put my feet into a pail of 
steaming water/ made me swallow ten grains 
of calomel, covered the greater part of my 
body with mustard-plasters, forced me to take 
a pint of snakeroot and salt, put me to bed 
with ice on my head, left some gruel for nour- 
ishment, and went away. Half an hour later 
he returned, looked at me, smiled, and said, 
" It is well; the fever is broke, and if you will 
do as I tell you, you will recover." I promised 
to do his bidding, and was told to lie perfectly 
quiet, to take a cup of snakeroot every hour, 
to keep plenty of ice on my head, and when 
thirsty to take a cup of gruel, and he left. In 
about two hours he returned with a fresh sup- 
ply of ice, snakeroot, and some refreshments, 
renewed his instructions, and bade me good- 
night. 

This calamity came upon me most unex- 



46 ECHOES 

pectedly. I felt cowardly, and doubted my 
recovery. About midnight I fell asleep. The 
next morning my physician arrived shortly 
after I awoke. I felt better, and asked him 
to be released from my bed. " Oh," said he, 
"you are not over it yet; but if you will com- 
ply with my orders as you have done, the vic- 
tory is yours." "All right," said I; "com- 
mand, and I will obey." "Well," said he, 
" you can dispense with the ice and mustard, 
but must continue the snakeroot every two 
hours, for," continued he, "there is yet a good 
deal of fever in you wilich must come out." 
I complied, but became so weak that I could 
not rise alone. "This," said he, "is the 
proper way to cure the Yellow Jack." All 
medicines were removed now, and replaced 
by chicken soup and other delicious dishes. 
Two days later I was up visiting my good 
friend, for in him I found a true one. Among 
other things I asked him for my bill due him 
for services rendered. "Never mind that," 
said he ; " the Lord will settle for it." " Ah," 
said I, " my mother's God, whom I have for- 
gotten so many years." I felt ashamed, and 



FKOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 47 

wept. "Surrender your heart," continued he, 
" to your mother's God now, while you com- 
mence a new life, and while he has so gra- 
ciously delivered you from your death-bed, 
and you will become a good and happy man." 
I promised to amend, thanked him for his 
kindness, and returned to my room, saying to 
myself, " Had I died, I would have died like 
a dog, without God, without hope." 

Cold weather set in; Yellow Jack disap- 
peared ; the people returned, and business be- 
came brisk. My physical strength returned; 
fears of death and thoughts of eternity van- 
ished ; money came in plentifully ; my pas- 
sions became as strong as ever ; business was 
neglected. For a while I closed the store at 
noon, afterwards early in the forenoon, with 
a notice on the door : 

OPEN AT FOUB O'CLOCK P.M.; 

but seldom was I there at that hour. High- 
low -jack -and -the -game generally kept me 
busy all night. I never played for money, but 
often for drinks and cigars. But before spring 
I saw the fruits of my living. I had much 



48 ECHOES 

time to myself. No one troubled me with 
their orders, and my only chance was to wind 
up. I sold off at auction, and left for Charles- 
ton, S. C. Here I concluded to turn over a 
new leaf. Consequently I shunned all vicious 
places, started a vinegar manufactory, devoted 
all my time to it, made two hundred gallons 
of vinegar per day, but could not find ready 
sale for it, for a vinegar factory was some- 
thing new in this part of the country. Again 
I sold out, and w r ent to Columbia, S. C. 

Here I opened an upholstery and mattress 
shop, was doing well, and meant to stay ; but 
my discontented spirit would not let me rest. 
After a few months I resorted again to the 
auctioneer's hammer, and left for Spartanburg, 
S. C. This is a village in the mountains of 
about four hitndred inhabitants and three 
colleges. On surveying the place I thought a 
confectionery and fancy store would pay 
here. Two hundred dollars was my all in 
all. I rented a house, sent to Charleston for 
fancy goods, fruit, cigars, etc., procured flour, 
sugar, molasses, etc., on time, bought a large 
stove, and tried my luck at making candy and 



FEOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 49 

cakes. The first three lots were spoiled. 
Finally I succeeded in baking cakes, and 
placed them in a showcase. But I failed in 
making candy, not haying the necessary ma- 
chinery, so I sent to the city for some. In 
the mean time a sign was placed over the 
door : 

J. M , 

FRENCH CONFECTIONED. 

The goods arrived, and the place was finely 
fitted up with ladies' and gentlemen's private 
saloons. Things went on extremely well; I 
was coining money; but the evil one soon 
crept in, and I was driven out. It occurred 
in tliis wise : A few of the fast young students 
desired me to keep something stronger than 
lemonade and ginger-pop. Accordingly I sent 
for a few cases of French brandy, which was 
duly appreciated by them, and especially by 
the officers of the town. But my inexperi- 
enced friends loved it better than their books, 
and frequently were seen intoxicated. The 
faculty found it out, protested against my 
conduct, and brought a suit against me, which 

Echoei. 9 



50 ECHOES 

I postponed from time to time until I could 
find a purchaser for my establishment/ after 
which I disappeared. The amount realized 
was $800, bills being paid. 

In a few days I w r as in Charleston buying a 
stock of goods for cash, which I shipped for 
Orangeville, S. 0. Here also a fashionable 
confectionery was something new, and some 
of the young men expressed their delight by 
seeing their town so greatly improved. Just 
as I opened the store for the first time, the 
county sheriff made his appearance with a 
paper in his hand. Knowing the gentleman, 
my heart began to fail me. He entered, 
bowed cordially, and inquired for Mr. M . 

" I am at your service," w r as my reply. 

" Do you know a Mr. Z ?" he inquired. 

" Yes, sir," was answered. 

"Where is he now?" he asked. 

" I left him a week ago at Lawrence C. H., 
S. 0. Since then I have not seen nor heard 
from him," was my answer. 
. "He mysteriously disappeared at Law- 
rence," continued the officer, "forgetting to 
pay house rent and other bills." 



FKOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 51 

On hearing this I closed my store, shipped 
the goods for Lawrence, opened at Mr. 
Z 's old stand, and soon was in a flourish- 
ing condition. 

About this time hatred against abolitionists 
became visible on all sides, and I soon found 
myself in a hot-bed beyond endurance. I 
succeeded in getting a purchaser. In three 
days I was in New York with $2,000, and in a 
few days more I was on high ocean, bound 
for Queenstown. Thence I took the steamer 
to Bristol, the cars to London, Paris, and 
Zurich, arriving at my native town on the last 
day of the year 1859. 

The reception tendered me was grand, and 
I was supposed to be the happiest man under 
the sun, for no one else ever returned from 
America. But I was far from being happy. 
The little monitor within me would bestir 
itself after a season of pleasures, and cause 
me many sorrowful and sleepless hours. Pleas- 
ure became a burden, and I longed for some- 
thing which seemed to be out of my reach. 

After six months' roaming to and fro, wast- 
ing my substance in riotous living, I returned 



52 ECHOES 

to New York. Here I engaged in tlie ruin 
traffic, and bought the lease, stock, and fixtures 
of a porterhouse. Shortly after opening this 
place I attended a ball at Mozart Hall, and 
on returning in the morning, found my store 
burned down; and I was sent to Sing-Sing 
prison for the term of twelve years and three 
months, to lament the folhes of a fast and 
ill-spent life. 



FROM THE LIVING GEAVE. 58 



p 



ONYERSION OF THE /iUTHOR 



ftUTH 




T was on a dark, gloomy, stormy 
day — November, 1861 — when, in a 
most melancholy state of mind, I was 
sitting on my couch in a lonely cell 
of New York City Prison, looking 
upon the things about me — four gray walls, 
with an iron door on one side, and a small 
window near the ceiling on the other side, 
and a bed, consisting of a dirty sack partly 
filled with straw, and some torn blankets, 
meditating upon my intolerable lot, condemn- 
ing the acts of brutal officers, who cruelly cast 
me into prison, irrespective of the highly cher- 
ished estimation of myself. Cursing the day 
of my departure from home, cursing the day 
of my birth and my very existence and the 
whole human race ; realizing most acutely the 
horrors of my inexpressible condition, a stran- 
ger in a strange land, without a friend or a 
dollar in the world ; deprived of all comforts 



54 ECHOES 

and necessaries of life, despised and forsaken 
by all men, with a fair prospect for a long 
term in stateprison ; bitterly hating all around 
me, and even myself and every thing else that 
came before me. In such a state of mind, 
filled with blackness of darkness, and sur- 
roundings which represented hell more per- 
fectly than I could ever imagine, I was con- 
fronted by an old and rather poorly-dressed 
gentleman. After reading my name above the 
door, he cast his eyes through the bars, and 
smilingly asked : 

" Is there a German in here ?" 

Reluctantly rising from my couch of medi- 
tation, wishing him and every other intruder 
ten thousand miles away from me, I walked 
to the door, and in a very disagreeable man- 
ner said : 

"I speak that language. What is youi 
desire?" 

"Oh, nothing special," said he. "I am a 
clergyman from Williamsburgh, and being in 
the city to-day, and having an hour to spare, 
I thought I would visit my brethren in afflic- 
tion." 



FKOM THE LIVING GBAVE. 55 

" Brethren in affliction — hypocrite thou 
art," said I to myself. But assuming an 
honest face, I toicl him that I was thankful 
for his kindness, and hoped that his errands 
of mercy would result to his satisfaction. 
After a short pause, he continued : 

"Have you any friends in the city?" 

" None in the world," was my reply. 

"Any means?" he inquired. 

"Not a dollar." 

" What 's your crime ?" 

"Arson in the second." 

"Any prospect to get out?" 

"None — without money." 

"Well," said he in a somewhat broken 
voice, " yours is truly a pitiable position ; 
would that I could help you, but I can only 
bring you the consolation of the gospel of 
Christ. Will you accept him ? Tou say you 
have no friend. Jesus Christ is your Friend" 

" That is all very well," I replied; "but he 
will not and cannot reach my present case. 
Money alone can save me now." 

"Well," continued he in a very tender and 
fatherly way, " well, would it not be wise, as 



56 " ECHOES 

you have no money and no friends to assist 
you, and thus are unable to gain your point, 
to make your peace with God, and receive 
Jesus Christ as your Saviour, who is a substi- 
tute for every thing desirable. Surely he will 
find a way which will lead you to happiness, 
and perhaps release you from prison. Re- 
member he says, ' Seek first the kingdom of 
God, and all things will be added unto you." 

I shook my head, saying : " My only point 
is to obtain liberty, of which I had been so 
wrongfully deprived." 

Finding that he could not gain access to 
my heart, he departed with a "God bless you." 

" Fanatic !" murmured I after he had gone. 
" Jesus Christ my friend ! I 'd like to know 
what he has to do with me or I with him ? 
It is all nonsense." 

Shortly after this two Sisters of Mercy, 
from the convent on Houston -street, New 
York, made their appearance. I was more 
inclined to listen to them than to my former 
visitor, for I thought religion far more be- 
coming to poor, old, sickly women, than to 
able-bodied and sensible men. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 57 

"Axe you a Catholic?" asked the eldest of 
the two. 

" No, I am nothing at all, as far as religion 
is concerned," was my reply in a careless 
manner. 

"No religion at all!" exclaimed she with 
surprise, while her disciple opened her beau- 
tiful eyes to some extent. 

" None," I rejoined, amusing myself at their 
spiritual energy. 

"Don't you say your prayers?" she con- 
tinued. 

"I have none to say," I replied. 

" Have you no prayer-book?" 

"No." 

"Would you like to have one?" 

"I don't know as I would." 

" But do n't you ever think of your soul?" 

" I think a great deal about getting out of 
this place." 

"But, my good friend," she continued with 
a mother's love, " suppose you should be ta- 
ken sick and die, what would become of your 
soul?" 

This question reached my heart, but be- 

10 



58 ECHOES 

ing cowardly disposed, I waived it, and 
said: 

" Madam, it is twenty years since I left my 
father's roof, and have seen a goodly part of 
the world, but have as yet failed to see any 
thing of this so-called religion. I believe it 
to be a thing yet to be created." 

Again they seemed to be astonished, and 
after a pause she said : 

"Did you ever live among good Catho- 
lics?" 

"I don't know as I have," was my reply. 
"There is one in the cell with me, who is now 
gone to court, who very frequently "gets down 
on his knees, but whose ordinary conversa- 
tion is well spiced with profanity, filthiness, 
etc." 

" Can that be?" she rejoined. 

" It is even so," I replied. 

"But," said she, "he is a criminal, and 
ought not to be held up as a specimen of 
God's converting grace." 

" Well," responded I, " should I perchance 
meet such a specimen, I would consider it a 
new revelation, and will seek counsel and ad- 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 59 

vice of him. All the Catholics, however, I 
have corae in contact with heretofore were 
profane men." 

After exchanging a few more words, they 
bade me farewell. 

A few days more and the priest came along. 
From his first words I ascertained that he 
had seen the Sisters, and was well posted 
about the man in No. 69. Among other 
things, he told me that he was a Frenchman, 
and lived, some years ago, in my native land. 
As often as he ventured to turn the conver- 
sation heavenward, as often I turned upon 
the beauty and glory of the Swiss Alps ; and 
he too retired unsuccessful. 

The next day a finely-dressed gentleman, 
with a package of tracts in hand, made his 
round on the gallery. After passing one or 
two of them into every cell, he disappeared. 
This mute preacher's sermons I considered 
unworthy of my esteem, and I put them out 
of my reach. 

The Sisters and the priest renewed their 
visits from week to week and sought to do 
me good, and in various ways to persuade me 



60 ECHOES 

of the power of their religion. They made 
some impression on my mind, and I consid- 
ered them good people. Protestant ladies also 
visited the prison frequently, but would sel- 
dom stop or tarry at my cell. 

One day I was approached by the chaplain 
of the prison, who, among other things, kindly 
asked me to accept a tract. To show my ap- 
preciation of his kindness, I took it, at the 
same time despising him and his tract, prom- 
ising in my heart not to read it. He too en- 
deavored to show me the exceeding sinfulness 
of sin, and point out the only Saviour to re- 
deem me from my fallen state. I told him 
that I was no worse than others, and if oth- 
ers get to heaven, I stood a good chance also. 
After he had gone, I cast the tract on my bed. 
It so fell as to leave the title in full view, and 
I involuntarily read, "Don't Put it Off." A 
little curious to know what it referred to, I 
picked it up, and read : 

"Most men acknowledge that something 
must be done in this life in order to inherit 
that which is to come, and most men mean to 
prepare for eternity before they die. One 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 61 

man died while inspecting a picture-gallery ; 
another while reading a paper; another while 
delivering an address ; another while sitting 
at dinner; another while walking in a gar- 
den," etc. And the still small voice within 
me began to whisper : Suppose you should 
die in prison, and this day, what would be- 
come of your soul? The almighty arm of 
God was upon me. My eyes were opened by 
degrees, and my proud, stubborn, and rebel- 
lious heart was broken. Great mountains of 
sins arose before me. Floods of evil deeds 
and words, committed in early youth, flashed 
across my mind, and I became an object of 
extreme misery and wretchedness, crying from 
my inmost soul with the prophet of old : " Is 
there sorrow like unto my sorrow?" It was 
then and there that I first prayed from the 
abundance of a sin-stricken soul: "God be 
merciful to me a sinner." This, however, was 
but the beginning of a struggle with sin and 
Satan, w T hich continued for two long' and 
weary years of heaviness and distress. I 
prayed with burning tears, and cried to God 
with great agony. I wrestled with the great 



G2 ECHOES 

Spirit, but it was useless. He would not bless 
me. The chaplain kindly presented me with 
a Bible and tracts, and I read and prayed and 
conversed with good people, but in vain. I 
remained the most miserable of God's crea- 
tures. I was awakened, and my own con- 
science condemned me. Hell opened itself 
before me as my just portion, and I felt as if 
I would fall into it and be swallowed up by a 
lake of fire. There was no peace, no rest, 
and the fear of hell only prevented me from 
committing suicide. 

After five months' imprisonment, I was 
brought to trial, was convicted, and sen- 
tenced to Sing-Sing prison for the term of 
twelve years and three months. This. in- 
creased my distress greatly. 

On arriving at my new home, I was em- 
ployed in a hat-factory, with a hundred and 
fifty other convicts, men who were generally 
devoid of self-respect. My state of mind re- 
mained unchanged, and I resolved, above all 
things, to obtain rest. I repaired to the 
chaplain, Rev. John Luckey ; but on arriving 
at his office, the evil one suggested that I was 



FBOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 63 

too insignificant a creature to command the 
attention of so venerable a man as Father 
Luckey, and I refrained from my purpose. 

Night after night I called upon God, plead- 
ing for help and resolving to amend, and 
spend the following day more pleasing to God 
and myself. On rising in the morning, I 
would repeat my requests and resolutions, 
affirm my vows, and go to my work with a 
determination to defeat the devil whenever 
visible ; but no sooner did I meet him in his 
many various ways and forms, than I found 
myself out-generaled. My resolutions and 
determinations proved to be mere air-castles, 
and in spite of all my prayers and resolutions, 
I found myself continually sinking. I ac- 
quired many bad habits from my fellows, 
such as chewing tobacco, stealing on a small 
scale, using profane language, etc. This, 
however, did not satisfy my hungry soul, and 
I continued to storm the gates of heaven with 
as much violence as ever, very often despair- 
ing of hope, and considering the great heart 
of God for ever barred against me. 

Among my shopmates was one called pious 



64 ECHOES 

Jim. I soon formed his acquaintance, with 
the intention to learn of him how to obtain 
the pearl of great price, but found in him a 
profane son of the church of Rome. The 
blessed Virgin, St. Patrick, and other saints, 
were his element. He was greatly rejoiced to 
learn that I wanted to become a better man, 
and offered to assist me in all possible ways. 
He possessed some twenty or more Catholic 
books, which were presented to him from time 
to time by the Sisters of Mercy. These he 
persuaded me to read, with the assurance 
that they would make a good Christian of me. 
Thirsting most ardently after the pure milk 
of the true religion, I read them all through, 
but at the end of reading found myself as far 
from happiness as ever, and my condition 
grew worse. Every source had failed me, 
and the gates of heaven were still closed. 
Too blind and ignorant and weak to find my 
way to the cross of Christ, and too proud to 
ask any one, even our most kind chaplain, I 
groped in darkness, seeking, sighing, praying, 
and wrestling with all my mind and strength, 
earnestly desiring rest, but finding none. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 65 

One day, mustering my courage, I resolved 
to unbosom my heart to the chaplain, and ask 
for help and guidance. For this purpose I 
repaired to his office, firmly resolved to carry 
out my intention ; but on reaching there I met 
a shopmate with whom I had been quarrel- 
ling a few days before, and my heart failed me. 
Again and again I repeated my visits, but 
never gained the point in view. On one of 
these visits I discovered a stock of tracts, 
which were served gratis ; and obtaining per- 
mission, I resorted to this fountain very often, 
drawing two hundred and more at a time. I 
was greatly relieved, and rejoiced at my new- 
ly-found treasure, and hoped in and through 
them to find that long-desired rest. They 
were precious to me, and became my con- 
stant companions. Generally rising before 
dawn, I would be at my grated door with 
tract in hand, longing for the return of day 
to feed my hungry soul with little messengers 
until breakfast-time. After finishing my day's 
work, I would resort to my little bundle of 
papers, and keep at them as long as I could 
see the print, deriving much consolation from 

Echoes. 1 1 



66 ECHOES 

them, and yet I remained unhappy. Finally, 
after many months of fierce warfare, I chanced 
to read the sweet and most precious words : 

"None but Jesus, none but Jesus 
Can do helpless sinners good." 

These words brought a final change and con- 
solation to my heart. My eyes were now 
clear. I saw my folly in rejecting Him who 
alone can help; the long neglected and de- 
spised Jesus, who ever sought to embrace me 
in his arms of love. My proud and stiff heart 
was melted down, my stubborn and selfish 
will was subdued. My soul was filled with 
peace, and I was at rest. The storm of a sin- 
stricken soul ceased to cast up mire and dirt, 
and there was a great calm. Tears of sorrow 
were changed into tears of joy. Jesus met the 
chief of sinners, and their meeting was a glo- 
rious one. The sinner endeavored to -show 
his appreciation to his glorious Visitor ; but 
as a little erring child rests sweetly on its 
loving and forgiving mother's bosom, so he 
too, not having courage to look up into His 
glorious face, sweetly reposed on his breast, 



FROM THE LIVING GEAVE. 67 

without finding expressions of gratitude from 
his 'overflowing soul. 

My heart was changed, and with it my en- 
tire being and condition. My little cell be- 
came a palace. Jesus dwells there, and there 
is nothing wanting within me. I long for the 
return of night, that I may be with my God 
alone. Prayer, which had always proved a 
severe task, has become a delight. Self-ex- 
amination, which was unknown to me, became 
a daily duty, which, through the instrumen- 
tality of the blessed Spirit, has done away 
with self, and instituted Jesus Christ in and 
over me. In due time the chief of sinners 
became humble as a child, who is now grow- 
ing in grace, seeking where and how he might 
advance his Master's kingdom. His closet is 
his dearest place ; his workshop is his temple ; 
his neighbor is his brother ; his joy is Jesus, 
his life is Christ, and his death will be glory. 



68 ECHOES 




Solitary Thoughts, Views, 
and Experience. 

AM filled with amazement in 
knowing that my heavenly Father has 
in so great mercy spared me unto the 
present. Why should he stoop and 
reach down so low? Why expend 
his wisdom, his power, his love, and costly 
beneficence on a heart so vile as mine ? 

The question now is not, " What must I do 
to be saved?" but the question, "How may I 
sufficiently thank him for the great salvation 
he has so graciously bestowed on me?" is 
continually occupying my mind. How may 
I glorify his precious name, and by what pos- 
sible means may I come nearer to my God, 
and how may I become more like himself? 
The prospect of drawing nearer to him day 
after day fills my soul with gratitude, love, 



FROM THE LIVING GEAVE. 69 

and joy, too deep for words. Oh, that I had 
the wings of an angel, to soar at once up into 
heaven, and remain with Jesus my Saviour 
for ever ! 

However dreary my lot, however dark my 
path, however low my condition, however 
loathsome and narrow my cell, one thing is 
sure : it is the abiding-place of the most high 
God. The Angel of the Covenant is there, 
and in the darkest night of grief this dwelling 
has light and hope and peace. 

To be in my right mind, I must have the 
mind that w^as in Christ. I must follow his 
footsteps, glorify God in every act, word, and 
thought, and as I proceed in my pilgrimage, 
must strive to grow in the knowledge of Christ. 
Thus may I be accepted of the Father, and 
finally be an occupant of one of the mansions 
in his glorious kingdom. 

It is true my pilgrimage is unusually weari- 
some, but I am frequently resting under the 
refreshing shade of the tree of life, feasting 



70 ECHOES 

on its delicious fruits, drinking from the hid- 
den springs of salvation, and bathing my 
guilty and polluted soul in the blood-cleans- 
ing Fountain of Calvary. Thus enjoying life 
under the most adverse circumstances, in ail 
its beauty and glory — fixing my eyes on the 
precious Jesus — all the darkness, sorrow, and 
pain disappear, and I am permitted to swim, 
as it were, in the boundless ocean of his eter- 
nal love. Glory, glory, glory be to God for 
ever and ever ! 

I will strive to inscribe on my heart what 
manner of person I ought to be in all holy 
conversation and godliness. I will so walk 
that it may be evident to all about me that I 
am indeed Christ's. 

I want to be a sturdy, resolute, and out- 
spoken man, firmly rooted in Christ, drawing 
from the deeps of the mysterious well of sal- 
vation, diving to the very bottom of the fath- 
omless ocean of love, growing in wisdom, and 
bearing much fruit to the glory of God and 
the happiness of my fellow-beings, seeking 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. U 

where and how I may gladden the hearts of 
unhappy men. 

I have set my mind, my affections, and ail 
on that for which Christ died, for which an- 
gels watch, for which saints pray, for -which 
men unceasingly labor, and for which I was 
created, namely : my soul's eternal rest. Oh, 
believe this, my soul, and think well on it : 
thou shalt be eternally embraced in the arms 
of that love which is from everlasting, and 
which will extend to everlasting ; of that love 
which brought the Son of God's eternal love 
from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, 
from the cross to the grave, and from the 
grave to glory ; of that love which was weary, 
hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, 
spit upon, crucified, and pierced ; which did 
fast, pray, teach, heal, weep, sweat, bleed, and 
die — that glorious love, oh, my soul, will eter- 
nally embrace thee. 

I have insured my life in that company of 
which Jesus Christ is president, secretary, 
and treasurer, 



72 ECHOES 

He is always in my thoughts. He is my 
delight and the supreme object of my affec- 
tions. I have made him my all in all for life, 
death, and eternity. 

Life is sweet and precious when it can be 
laid out for Jesus. 

In Jesus Christ there is pardon for the past, 
and restraining power for the future. In him 
there is education and development in all god- 
liness. In him there is life which lifts the soul 
above temptations, sorrow, fear, dying, and 
death, yea, even above judgment itself. 

I believe in Jesus Christ ; that is, I receive 
him as the only-begotten and well-beloved of 
the Father. I trust and live in him ; rely on 
him for all things necessary for time and 
eternity ; walk and act in him ; eat, drink, 
sleep, and converse in him; and whatever I 
do or leave undone, do or leave undone to his 
glory. I strive to imitate him, follow, love, 
serve, and obey him ; and this, I believe, is the 
essence of the Christian's religion, and this is 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 73 

according to St. Paul, and I am persuaded 
that lie was not mistaken. 



I have innumerable and unspeakably sweet 
communions in my cell with, my God alone, 
which induces me to praise him day and 
night. In his strength, guided by his Spirit, 
and sustained by his grace, I am pushing for- 
ward. How will my soul bless the Lord when 
in his presence I will behold in reality what 
now is revealed to me in the vision of faith. 

I am overlooking this dark and dreary 
place, and the dazzling and false grandeur of 
the world, pierce through the clouds of van- 
ity which intercept, and fix my eyes on the 
Sun of righteousness only, and all darkness 
disappears, and there is joy in my soul and 
among the angels in heaven. 

The same Jesus, who can make a dying- 
bed soft as downy pillows are, is able and 
willing, if I will only let him, to make these 
gloomy walls far more glorious than the walls 
of the noblest palace. Yes, I am at times 

12 



74 ECHOES 

happier than a prince on his throne, and 
would indeed not make the exchange, as 
worldly riches and honor and happiness are 
but passing vanities compared with the un- 
speakable joy, peace, and happiness of a 
humble Christian. Oh, how may I bless the 
Lord for this sweet revelation. 

It is faith and prayer combined which will 
save a soul. The form of prayer alone is in- 
sufficient. I might have a machine to man- 
ufacture prayer, and rattle them off as fast as 
lightning, but they would be of no avail with- 
out faith. 

Language, O God, is inadequate to exjoress 
the wondrous w^orks which thou hast wrought, 
and the great blessings which thou art con- 
tinually pouring into my soul. 

Ignorance is the armor which partly shields 
the conscience from the sword of the Spirit. 

I have ascertained that my heart is deceit- 
ful above all things and desperately wicked, 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 75 

full of unrighteousness, fornications, covet- 
ousness, malice, envy, murder, filth, vanity, 
debate, pride, hatred, dispute, and other 
products of hell, and these all must leave me, 
for Jesus will have it so. 

My highest ambition is to proclaim to my 
poor lost brothers and sisters His incompre- 
hensible loving-kindness and unsearchable 
riches, and point them to the inexhaustible 
fountain of eternal love. 

Why should I complain of my loneliness, 
when Jesus Christ and the hosts of heaven 
are continually with me? Why should I envy 
another's lot, when I possess all that the fac- 
ulties of my soul can desire ? Why should I 
complain of poverty, when the riches of Christ 
are mine ? How can I be called an unfortu- 
nate being, when I know that there is no hap- 
pier soul on the entire globe. Why is it that 
men call me ignorant, while I am guided 
and governed by the unerring Spirit of truth ? 
It is because the world is blind in spirit- 
uality. 



76 ECHOES 

I am rich. The unsearchable treasures of 
Jesus Christ are mine. He himself is mine. 
Gocl is mine. Heaven and every thing else 
is at my command and disposal, although I 
possess not a dollar of this world's goods. 

I praise God that my soul does not inquire 
with the poet : 

"Where is the blessedness I knew 
When first I saw the Lord V 

Nay, his blessedness followed me from the 
hour of his appearance to my sin-sick soul to 
this day, and I am sure it will follow me to 
the day when I shall appear before his judg- 
ment-seat to give an account of the things 
done and left undone in the body. This is a 
solemn thought, but not in the least disturbs 
my peace, for Jesus says : " He that cometh 
unto me I will in no wise cast out;" and, 
" Fear not, little flock; it is the Father's good 
pleasure to give you the kingdom." While 
his word is replete with invitations and prom- 
ises, and as he is faithful enough to fulfil them 
all, I have nothing to fear. Besides, I will hide 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 77 

myself in his wounds, so that I cannot be 
seen, and all will be well. 

A sinful thought, when resisted, is not sin, 
but temptation. A sinful thought, when 
cherished, is not temptation, but sin. 

I have learned that nothing in this world is 
worthy, is deserving of my admiration or re- 
gard, unless God is in it to ennoble and sanc- 
tify it, 

I have submitted myself to Him who "tem- 
pers the wind to the shorn lamb," and who 
bears his little ones in his own arms. 

God has placed me in this world to be use- 
ful to my fellow-men, and to prepare for the 
world to come. In order to do this, the glory 
of his holy name and the edification of my 
own soul, as well as the edification of the 
souls of my fellow -sinners for our eternal 
happiness, are the two standpoints which must 
occupy my entire being, soul and body, con- 
tinually. 



78 ECHOES 

It is indeed my desire and determination 
to follow the footprints of my Saviour more 
closely hereafter, that I may become capable 
of doing what is pleasing to my heavenly 
Father. 

Although I am yet but a babe in my Mas- 
ter's household, yet I have so fully tasted that 
the Lord is good, so very good and gracious, 
yea, so very merciful, I long to praise him as 
I ought, and to be entirely lost in him. O 
precious Saviour, substance of all delight, 
glory of heaven, joy of the believer, refuge of 
the sinner, tune my soul with heavenly melo- 
dies, and enable me to sing the songs of the 
saints in light! Rev. 15:*3. Come, thou 
blessed Spirit, instruct and help me to give 
due honor and glory to Him who was slain 
for me ! Oh, where shall I find words to 
praise thy great and sweet name? Where 
shall I obtain language to describe the ful- 
ness of thy goodness, of which even I, unwor- 
thy worm, have been permitted to partake so 
abundantly? O blessed Jesus, human wis- 
dom has not invented lan^ua^e to do thee 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 79 

justice ! Yea, tliou art ever visiting me with 
trains of mercies— mercies which thy divine 
love alone can fathom ! 

Oh, how sweet are the gifts from Him who 
is called the Father of every good and per- 
fect gift ! How precious is his renewing, 
purifying, cheering, strengthening, encoura- 
ging, teaching, directing, guiding, enlighten- 
ing, sanctifying Spirit ! How pow erful his 
everlasting arm, how boundless his grace, how 
exceedingly sweet his love ! I am going to 
hold on to him with all the strength he. gives 
me. I got both my arms around his neck, 
embracing him with all the faculties of my 
craving soul, and will never let him go. I 
am sure he will not shake me off, although 
my sins are many and as great as mountains. 
Yet his love is still greater and powerful, and 
outweighs all the sins of the world; conse- 
quently our union is eternal as he is almighty, 
and nothing imaginable can separate us. 
Worthy is the Lamb that was slam to receive 
power, and wisdom, and riches, and strength, 
and honor, and glory, and blessing, and ado- 
ration for ever and ever ! 



80 ECHOES 

What a sweet solace to the trembling but 
loving soul, when the destroying angel, who 
swore that time shall be no longer, shall make 
his appearance, to hide itself in the wounds 
of a dying Saviour, and to be carried by him 
to that glorious mansion in the eternal city 
whose maker and builder is God ; where there 
is no more sorrow, nor pain, neither death; 
no prison, and no more infernal spirits to em- 
bitter its peaceful hours with- wormwood and 
gall, nor any thing else which disturbs the 
joy of the soul, and' where God himself will 
wipe away the tears from all eyes ! Oh, what 
a glorious hope is this ! 

My soul, with your fellow-men deal justly, 
with the evil one act rashly. In your inmost 
soul love mercy, and with your God walk 
humbly. 

I know and see and feel the universal de- 
pravity of my entire being more and more 
from day to day. A wicked, hell-daring life 
is the life of the unconverted sinner. I have 
seen how vile a thing sin is, and by the tenor 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 81 

of tlie law which I have transgressed, the 
least sin deserves eternal punishment. I am 
conscious of my undone condition, and feel 
myself condemned. I am aware of my utter 
insufficiency to promote true happiness, or to 
cure my misery, or to save my soul. I am 
convinced that the end of happiness is eter- 
nal life in God. The way to it is through 
Jesus Christ. In him I find an effectual 
remedy for each and every spiritual disease. 
I am familiar with the greatness of his power, 
with the fulness of his promises, and the free- 
ness of his salvation. What a beauty there 
is in the Pearl of great price ! 

The Carnal Heart. 

The unconverted heart is a dry spot; no 
green leaf can be found in it. The power of 
iniquity has destroyed every sprouting sprig. 
It is a desert, a dwelling-place of dragons and 
vipers and reptiles of hell. The fragrant 
evergreen you cannot find in it, nor the beau- 
tiful shrubbery of God's love. In vain do 
you seek childlike simplicity and heartfelt 
Aevotion, or love for prayer. The little flower 

Echoes. I X 



82 ECHOES 

Humility is not there, nor can the blooming 
Patience be found. The glorious Beauty of 
Holiness is invisible, and the precious per- 
fumed Charity bears no fruit therein. The 
spreading tree of Love, Faith, and Hope has 
not taken root, nor the vine which bears fruit 
to the glory of God and the salvation of 
souls. The dew of heaven does not descend 
upon it, neither does the stream from the 
Biver of Life moisten its parched soil. Oh, 
the unconverted heart is a dry spot ! It is 
dead to all that is good and precious in the 
sight of God. "Search me, O Lord God, and 
know my heart ; try me and know my thoughts, 
and see if there be any wicked way in me, 
and lead me in the way everlasting," and make 
my heart a fruit-bearing garden of the Most 
High. 

When Alexander the Great met Diogenes, 
the Greek philosopher, finding him sitting in 
a tub, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the 
philosopher being requested by the king to 
ask any favor of him, which he would wil- 
lingly grant, merely Said: "Don't stand be- 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 83 

tween me and the sun;" which caused Alex- 
ander to exclaim, " If I were not Alexander. 
I would be Diogenes !" 

Diogenes was a heathen, lived at a time 
and in a land where the God of revelation 
Vas not known ; but as ho was a man of com- 
mon sense, he knew that there was a mightier 
power in existence than mere man, and this 
power he as a heathen justly recognized in 
the sun, which gave life and light to the 
earth, and as an honest man he loved and 
worshiped this supreme power. He would 
not permit the greatest of human beings, not 
even Alexander the Great, who sincerely de- 
sired to bestow upon him honor and treasures, 
stand between him and the object he wor- 
shiped. 

As my heart panted after wisdom, I have 
learned a practical lesson from this heathen. 
He would allow no perishing substance to 
stand between him and his supposed god, 
neither will I allow any passing idol to creep 
into my soul, and stand^ between me and my 
God, Jesus Christ. He would not exchange 
the pleasure and happiness which he derived 



84 ECHOES 

from studying the beauty and luxury of the 
sun for any worldly greatness or pleasures. 
Neither will I give the perpetual rays of love 
from the Sun of righteousness, the inexpressi- 
ble and eternal blessing and pleasures which 
I derive from studying Jesus Christ, for all the 
great Alexanders, for all the nobility, for all 
the treasures of a perishing world. More 
than this, I vail not permit any creature, be 
it mother, sister, brother, wife, child, or friend, 
to stand between me and my Creator. I will 
not worship any one but Him who keeps me 
in being. . My motto is : The Creator* first, 
the creature next. And as to the goods of 
this world, I will take care that the burden 
does not become too heavy and overpower 
me, and hide the face of the Lord from me. 
Nor will I let its pressure weigh me down into 
the bottomless pit, whence there is no escape ; 
rather will I throw the cargo overboard, than 
to sink vessel, cargo, crew, and all, and with 
Diogenes I will hold on to the object which 
gives me just what my soul is craving for. 
Yes, I am going to hold on to Him who sought 
and found and picked me up in the wilder- 



FBOM THE LIVING GEAVE. 85 

ness, not only famishing and dying, but really 
dead in trespasses and sin- — just as I had 
fallen from Satan's train of victims to the 
eternal burning. Yes, I will hold to Him 
who found me in a most despicable state; 
who put me on his shoulder, and carried me 
to his Father's house; who bound up my bro- 
ken heart, dressed my wounds, poured oil and 
wine into them, bathed me with tears of love, 
washed me in his own blood, nursed and car- 
ried me in his bosom; and, precious Jesus, 
what hast thou not done for me ! If there is 
any thing within or about me which is not 
thy work, I pray thee cast it out, destroy it, 
and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. 
Whatever is not of thee is of the enemy, and 
is disagreeable to thee and the Father, and 
even to my fellow-men. Oh, come and give 
me more of that oil w^hich heals every spirit- 
ual disease, and which is a most wholesome 
refreshment for the weary traveler in this 
vale of tears ! 

I will go out, should the good Lord permit 
me to leave this place once again, into the 



86 ECHOES 

byways and hedges, and compel them to come 
in to the glorious feast which Jesus has pre- 
pared, well knowing that all the worldling 
calls rich and great are but passing vanities 
and shadows compared to the substantial, 
perfect, and lasting happiness which can only 
be derived from the assurance of having 
served God with willingness, cheerfulness, 
and ability. I will strive to multiply the army 
of the Captain of my salvation, that his name 
might receive due honor and glory for ever- 
more. 

Looking unto Jesus. 

Whenever Satan makes his appearance in 
any of his various ways and forms, I fly 
directly to the cross with the words : 

" Jesus, Saviour, Son of God, 
Let me to thy bosom fly." 

He graciously opens his arms, receives me, 
and my troubled soul is at rest. It beholds 
the tormentor disappear! Oh that I could 
persuade every newly converted soul to prac- 
tice this sublime habit: As soon as an evil 



FEOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 87 

thought arises in the mind, to go immediately 
to Jesus and tell him of the trouble; or to 
think of him, speak to him, pray to him, asso- 
ciate with him, and walk with and in him; 
look at his unspeakable beauty, meditate on 
his godly work and character, suffering, and 
intercession, and finally, to explore the re- 
gions of his boundless kingdom. 

Time thus spent I have found to be the 
best investment that human experience and 
knowledge can produce. Had I acquired this 
habit when my stubborn heart first yielded to 
the Spirit of God and to his constraining love, 
what an ocean of misery, sorrow and woe, 
fears and doubts would have been lost to me ! 
A happy loss indeed. Oh, that I could raise 
my voice and reach every soul on the entire 
globe with the sweetest of the apostle's words : 

''LOOKING UNTO JESUS." 

I know of no other sentiment uttered by mor- 
tal man which is more estimable to the man 
who knows himself aright. 

It was by looking to Jesus that legions of 
infernal spirits were driven out of me, and I 



88 ECHOES 

was permitted to sit at the feet of my glori- 
ous Redeemer clothed in my right mind. It 
was by looking unto Jesus, after spending 
many years in sin and rebellion against my 
Maker, following the devices of my own evil 
and deceitful heart, seeking where and how I 
might promote the kingdom of darkness, and 
after a struggle of several bitter years against 
the world, the flesh, and the devil, that my 
sin-stricken soul was visited by the Spirit of 
God, who commanded peace, and there was 
a great calm. It is by looking unto Jesus 
that these walls become far more glorious 
than the walls of a palace. It is by looking 
to him that I am enabled to walk close with 
my God. In short, it is by looking to him, 
and through his grace, that I am what I am — 
one of Ms little ones, bought by his own blood, 
to dwell with him for ever. Oh, how sweet, 
how precious, how glorious is such a hope ! 
Yes, it is pleasing to be one day transferred 
from a dungeon to that garden where Jesus 
dwells, and where he waters every plant him- 
self. How may I thank him sufficiently for 
this hope ? But the beauty of it is, this hope 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 89 

grows rapidly. It grows as fast as a mustard 
plant. It becomes a large tree in one season. 
It becomes converted into assurance. It is 
no longer a hope ; it is a reality that I will 
spend eternity with Him who is now preparing 
me to become acceptable to his Father and 
the saints. 

Thus I have found a remedy, in looking to 
Jesus, which will cure each and every spirit- 
ual malady. I fear the human agents of Sa- 
tan more than himself, although I am assured 
that they cannot actually harm me ; but it 
grieves my inmost soul so that I could weep 
bitter tears when I hear his precious name 
used in vain and his cause and people assault- 
ed. This is what frequently restrains the 
perpetual happiness of my soul. Yet on the 
whole I have no reason to complain, for the 
Lord tells me: "As thy day so thy strength 
shall be;" and I have indeed always found 
it so. Never have I fought a battle where 
Christ and his people were assaulted but I 
came out conqueror. Has he not promised to 
be with us always, even unto the end ? Is he 
not faithful to his promises? Where is the 

12 



90 ECHOES 

man, woman, or child that can accuse him of 
breaking liis word ? Oil, that all might come 
and give him a fair trial ! Truly, they would 
never repent of so wise an act, but would 
bring their friends along with them to the 
blessed fountain, that they, too, might drink 
from its stream and be for ever happy. 

The highest virtue, according to Jesus 
Christ, is "love." Extremely miserable is ho 
who is loveless, and thus merciless, and who 
refuses to be constrained by that eternal love 
which is revealed from God through Christ. 

Brotherly love is the new spirit of the soul. 
It is not only the blossom, but it is the sum 
and substance, the root, the trunk, the whole 
power of the tree. Its fruits are, good works 
to the glory of God and the welfare of men. 

Brotherly love, puritj^ and truth, justice and 
honor are the cro^fn jewels of a noble nature. 

Pure love understands and speaks every 
language known in heaven and on earth. 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 91 

The being who is destitute of brotherly 
love is a member of the family which consti- 
tutes the animal kingdom. 

If Jesus is revealed to me better in one 
church than in another, I will frequent that 
church and help to support it, that his beauty 
become more conspicuous and many more 
poor sinners fall in love with him. 

I find that God can be worshiped outside 
of the church as well as in it. I have seen 
him more graciously, and felt his presence 
more powerfully, in the dungeon than in any 
other place. "Wherever I am, there he is too. 

Oh, how I long to be of some use — to go 
out and tell them that the feast is ready, the 
table is set, and the Lord of the house is wait- 
ing to receive them — tell them of that pre- 
cious Saviour who is casting his lines of love 
to every wandering soul, and who desires to 
draw them all to the mercy-seat and enfold 
them into his own arms, and who would en- 
rich all men with the treasures of heaven. 



92 ECHOES 

Oh, how wonderful are the ways of God, 
how mysterious are his dealings with his crea- 
tures ! Why should he select so unworthy a 
worm as I am to be an everlasting monument 
of grace ? Why should the Holy Spirit stop 
at the gate of my dwelling and knock, and 
knock again, go his way, return and knock 
again, and plead to be admitted- — repeat his 
visits day after day for twenty-nine long years? 
He knocked louder and louder from time to 
time; but the soul, which was dead in tres- 
passes and sin, and which loved darkness 
rather than light, would not hear until he, 
before taking his final leave, broke the door 
open, entered in, bound its inmates, and cast 
them out to return no more, and took posses- 
sion of the house to dwell there for ever. 

It would be inexcusable in me to despise 
death, especially as I am convinced that it 
will conduct me into the presence of God and 
his holy angels and the just made perfect, 
where I may be one with them. 

O blessed Jesus, how often hast thou con- 
soled me in the dark hours of affliction! How 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 93 

graciously hast thou sustained me while pass- 
ing through the fiery furnace of tribulation ! 
How wonderfully hast thou preserved me and 
filled me with peace and joy ! Oh, how good, 
how exceedingly good is the Lord my Sav- 
iour ! Hear what he says : "Be of good cheer; 
because I live, thou shalt live also." "I will 
never leave thee nor forsake thee." "I has- 
ten to be gracious." Precious consolations ! 

While I live I will never disguise the truth 
nor speak language by which my Saviour 
might be grieved. I will inscribe on my 
heart that I must give an account for every 
idle word spoken and every vain thought 
cherished. 

I have made the choice between the two 
eternal masters. I have made it in the pres- 
ence of almighty God and men as witnesses. 
I am with all my soul determined to make 
the will of Christ the supreme law of my in- 
ner and outer life, not only in my relation 
directly to God, but in all my conduct tow- 
ards my fellow-men. I will be governed by 



94 ECHOES 

the love of Jesus. Trusting to his mercy for 
pardon in all tilings where I come short, and 
depending on him for strength, I will make 
his work my business, and try, like him, to 
find my meat and drink in doing God's holy 
w r ill. 

The religion of Jesus Christ is the only 
power which can cleanse the soul from the 
leprosy of sin. Sometimes I look in wonder 
and amazement at myself, and find that I am 
almost cured of the detestable disease. 

Self-denial for its own sake is useless. It 
is no religious act. But self-denial for the 
sake of others is a virtue practiced by Jesus 
Christ during his whole life. 

I have sought first, according to divine 
Wisdom, the kingdom of heaven, and found 
it ; and, glory be to God, all things are added 
unto me. Although my situation is somewhat 
unpleasant; yet, on the whole, I have great 
cause for thankfulness, for there is nothing 
wanting to complete my spiritual happiness. 



FROM THE LIVING GEAYE. 95 

The change produced by the grace of God is 
a radical change. It cures every disease and 
heals every wound, and the result is a joyous 
and happy life. 

"Where are that pride, hatred, and malice, 
where that stubbornness, ignorance, unbelief, 
and other inventions of the enemy, which had 
the sole control over me not very many years 
ago? All, I may as well ask where is the 
last winter's snow? The sun in the firma- 
ment has turned it into water. Even so has 
the Sun of righteousness melted the icy sur- 
face of my cold heart and turned it into liv- 
ing water — flowing streams which have no 
end. 

I sincerely desire to be an instrument in 
my Master's hands to shape and fashion ves- 
sels for eternity. 

To worship Christ is to worship God, the 
Creator of heaven and earth, the Father of 
every good and perfect gift, the Fountain of 
love, the Friend of Sinners, and the Saviour 



96 ECHOES 

of mankind. He is a most precious and won- 
derful God, wlio often grants my requests 
before I ask tliem. 

The Christian Structure. 

Faith, is its Foundation. 

Prayer is its Four walls. 

"Wisdom is its Entrance. 

Patience is its Windows. 

Charity is its Covering. 

Love to God is its Tower. 

Holy will is its Lightning-rod. 

Mine is a case that calls for rejoicing and 
not for sorrow, especially when I look back 
to the time when I entered this place — for- 
saken and despised by all men, grieved and 
tormented by the enemy within and without, 
overburdened with transgressions of the black- 
est kind. I came to Jesus for relief, and he 
was pleased to break the fetters of darkness 
and relieve me from the claws of Satan, and 
transferred me to the kingdom of God. Should 
I not rejoice and be exceedingly glad on be- 



FKOM THE LIVING GEAYE. 97 

ing thus favored and promoted? Angels in 
heaven rejoiced over the transaction, whereas 
the devils in hell tremble. 

Jesus Christ is the talisman of my soul. 
He gives me strength and courage in every 
conflict. ' He enables me to rise upon the 
hope of glory, and at death he opens the 
gate of the celestial city to me. 

Most men are like the bird that builds its 
nest in the branches of a tree near the river. 
The bird is singing and is happy while the 
waters beneath murmur destruction and un- 
dermines the soil about the tree, till in some 
unexpected hour the tree falls with a crash, 
into the stream, and then its home is gone, 
and the joyful singer is a wanderer. It is not 
so wdth the bird that builds its nest in the 
cleft of a rock. It dwells there unmolested ; 
it raises its young undisturbed; it returns 
from year to year, and it enjoys life in the 
beauty and glory which were assigned to it 
by its Creator. 

Even so did I take my abode in the cleft of 

Echoes. 1 3 



98 ECHOES 

the Eock of ages, and find myself protected 
from all the storms, tempests, and torrents of 
hell and of a sinful world. The lion may- 
roar, the wolf howl, and the scorpion sting, 
"yet I will fear no noise and no evil, for His 
rod and his staff they comfort me." 

Oh, how unfortunate am I ! How bitter is 
my lot! How exceedingly unhappy am I! 
This was the daily utterance of my sorrowing 
soul on entering this prison. But oh, how 
changed is my condition now! How sweet 
my portion, how exceedingly blessed am I 
under the patronage of a merciful Saviour. 
How precious art thou, O Jesus ! 

The sturdy oak of a hundred years is seem- 
ingly a useless thing. Its lofty branches are 
not visited by singing birds. Its shadow does 
not shelter the herds from the burning sun. 
It is not, until the woodman lays his axe on 
its base, when it dies, and is fashioned into 
all manner of useful things — ships, houses, 
furniture, etc., that it becomes of any use. 
So it is with man. Man seems to be of little 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 99 

or no use until the eternal Y/oodman lays the 
two-edged sword of God's eternal truth upon 
him and cuts the trunk of the old Adam, and 
fashions him into the likeness of His own im- 
age, that he becomes useful. "When the old 
man dies, the new man Christ Jesus com- 
mences his life in the soul. It is he who 
makes men, women, and children useful, and 
they become house and home to their fellow- 
men. 

Ah, could I find language to do justice to 
the blessed gospel of Jesus Christ, how pleas- 
ing it would be to my soul. Human wisdom 
has not invented words to do this, and at best 
we have but a faint conception of its precious- 
ness. At times, when I am alone, I have such 
sweet and rapturous visions of the love of God 
and the truths of his word, that I forget that 
I am in a body of flesh, forget that I am in 
prison, forget that I am in a vale of tears. It 
is then that I am, as it were, in the heavens 
above, in the holy of holies, knowing nothing 
of this world's tribulations or the cares of 
life. 



100 ECHOES 

Jesus designed his little ones to grow as 
fast as mustard plants, to stretch their boughs 
of love and good works all around and point 
heavenward. 

Rejoice, O my soul, in the hour of tribula- 
tion, and think not that God is going to de- 
stroy you. He is only tuning you up a little, 
that you may the sweeter sing his praises of 
everlasting love. 

To be fall of goodness, full of love, full of 
cheerfulness, hope, and hopeful sympathy, 
causes a soul to leap for joy, and scatter bless- 
ings upon a troubled world and create joy in 
heaven. 

The loving heart produces eyes as clear as 
crystal, which are often filled with precious 
pearls, but oftener with beams of godly love, 
strong enough to dispel all darkness in the 
community or household. 

God's kindnesses to me are as numerous 
as the stars on the firmament. I am slow to 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 101 

understand this, and feel my ungratefulness 
and unworthiness more and more. O Lord, 
change my heart again. It must be renewed 
from day to day, for the enemy is continually 
engaged to obtain and maintain his former 
possessions. 

"I am the Way," says Jesus. He desires 
us to walk in him as we walk in the road 
which leads to and from our homes. He is a 
highway cast up for weary travellers to go 
and find rest in the celestial city. 

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad when thou 
art laid low in the chamber of affliction, for it 
is then that the Lord means to chisel thee 
and raise thee up a glorious monument in his 
everlasting kingdom. 

The Christians who find seK-examination 
and self-denial hard, should labor for their 
personal reconstruction. 

God's promises are the comfort of my life. 
Without them I could not exist in this wild 



102 ECHOES 

waste of iniquity. How could I dwell in this 
polluted Sodom, where infernal spirits are 
continually spewing out products -of hell ? 
Were it not for the grace of God, I would 
sink under the influence of the evil one. 

We are commanded " to rejoice in the Lord 
always." The soul which is in Christ can 
never be grieved, for he himself is pure joy 
and happiness, and whatever he animates is 
like him. The sun, moon, and stars — all na- 
ture, and whatsoever we behold, smile upon 
us in great beauty and lustre, and seem to 
rejoice in him. 

Study ! Study without rest, 
It will not help thee aught. 

The end of all philosophy 
Is firm belief in God. 

Some travelers speak of the beauty of an 
occasional rose they meet on the Swiss Alps. 
Others dwell joyously upon the comfort and 
preciousness of a flowing well they discover 
in the midst of a large and burning desert. 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 103 

But nothing is more precious and glorious to 
the heaven- bound pilgrim, than to find a 
blooming and sweetly-perfumed flower, a well 
of living water, in so dark and gloomy a place 
as this is. Oh, how great is my joy to meet 
an occasional monument of grace ! Lord, cul- 
tivate this barren land. 

It is my duty not only to be good and do 
good, but to shine as a golden light in all 
places wherever I go, and to let the smiles of 
contentment rest upon my face continually. 

A Christian should strive to ascertain his 
power and influence over others. He should 
set sail upon the ocean of duty, and should 
exercise every faculty of his soul in the con- 
version of sinners and to the glory of God. 

The spring does not say : I will stand back 
until I can clothe every plant in beauty, and 
bring all the bounty of a glorious harvest 
under my wings. No, she casts loving glances 
all around her in February. In March she 
becomes more bold, and often ventures to pen- 



104 ECHOES 

etrate through lifeless bodies in the vegetable 
as well as the animal kingdom. In April we 
find her in a continual warfare with her rough 
sister. Her frosty predecessor will fight to 
the very last to maintain her pow x er and influ- 
ence over the earth ; and even in May, when 
the beautiful and tender visitor has firmly 
implanted her feet in the earth, when she is 
the sole proprietor of nature, her seemingly 
dead sister reappears, and with her dark and 
frosty face creates a great sensation among 
the visible substances of the earth: plants, 
beasts, and men suffer by her intrusion. 

So it is in the spring of the soul. "When 
the dead soul turns its face heavenward, and 
the icy crust is reached by the fervent heat of 
a dying Saviour's compassionate blood ; when 
the Sun of righteousness rises higher and 
higher on the firmament of faith, and when 
the soul is animated by Jesus Christ himself, 
it becomes inwrapped in beauty and glory, 
and will produce smiles of love and hope far 
superior to those of the most lovely day in 
May, and precious blossoms of humility, pa- 
tience, meekness, charity, etc., are visible. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 105 

The intruder, however, will repeat his assaults 
daily, and he is often successful in extinguish- 
ing the light of heaven in the soul and estab- 
lishing eternal darkness. Oh, how grateful I 
ought to be for that grace which enables me 
to turn my face Zionward, and to be warmed 
by that heat w r hich is calculated to produce 
much fruit to the glory of God. 

As the spring advances step by step, even 
so am I penetrating through the clouds and 
darkness of the world, through every opposi- 
tion, and fulfilling my mission according to 
my strength. In due time I shall reap a glo- 
rious harvest. 

Language is not yet framed wdiich could 
paint the sorrow of my soul on entering this 
institution, neither are the w^ords yet com- 
posed, which could express the joy of my soul 
in Jesus Christ this day, or the many and 
great mercies which he is continually bestow- 
ing upon me. No works of mine, however^ 
for I have done nothing good in all my life, 
but the free and sovereign grace of Christ — 

grace abounding to the chief of sinners — 

14 



106 ECHOES 

grace that seeks and finds the sinner before 
the sinner seeks or possesses it, has converted 
my soul from a haunt of reptiles, the brood of 
hell, into a dwelling-place of God's Holy 
Spirit. 

Never, oh, never, as long as I have a mind 
to think, willl forget that sweet and precious 
voice of the blessed Spirit, after a struggle of 
two bitter years, Peace, be still ! There was 
a great calm immediately, and I could Sing : 

Tell it, oh, tell it unto sinners — 
Tell them I am out of hell ! 

Precious recollections ! Oh, how sweet, how 
soothing, how consoling when the soul seems 
to be carried off by the influence of darkness 
or by surrounding circumstances, to be per- 
mitted to lean upon Jesus' mighty arm, and 
walk through the fiery furnace, seven times heat- 
ed, and come out unhurt, purified, and sancti- 
fied! Glory! glory! glory be to God for 
evermore ! 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 107 



Y 



E T T E R S 



Letter No. i. 




HE Botschafter received the fol- 
lowing letter from Sing -Sing 
prison : 

Sing-Sing Pkison, Dec. 21, 186G. 

TO THE EDITOR OF THE AMERICAN BOTSCHAFTER. 

Keverend and Dear Sir : It was my privi- 
lege to read in your highly prized journal of 
this month the urging plea to your country- 
men, to assist in the great work which your 
noble Society is carrying on. 

The brotherly love with which that article 
is written produced an echo in my rejoicing 
soul, and as I have learned, through the 
grace of God, to depend on his bounty and 

° Translated from the German. 



108 ECHOES 

assistance for all things necessary for body 
and soul, I send you herewith, for Christ and 
poor sinners' sake, my whole capital, one dol- 
lar, the fruit of hard labor. 

May it please God to bless this mite, and 
make it instrumental to the salvation of at 
least one poor, starving soul, and to the glory 
of his great and everlasting name. This is 

the humble desire of one in Christ new-bom. 

CONVICT. 

ANSWER OF THE BOTSCHAETER. 

Deak Beothee : Your letter and gift are at 
hand, and our heart rejoices over them. We 
publish the former that our readers may share 
our joy; doubtless they are gladdened by it. 
But our joy is a mere shadow of that joy 
which occurred among the angels of heaven 
when a convict in Sing-Sing prison repented 
of his sins and was born again in Christ 
Jesus. 

Blessed are we that we have a Saviour who 
has power to forgive sins, and who can rescue 
the sinner from the second death, and who 
will cast no one out, but save all who apply 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 109 

to hini with an humble and contrite heart, and 
exercise such faith as the Syrophenician wom- 
an did. 

O dear brother, let us thank and praise 
Him for his great salvation as long as we live. 
"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to 
him that ordereth his conversation aright I 
will show the salvation of God." Psa. 50 : 23. 
And, "We know that we have passed from 
death unto life, because we love the brethren," 
says the apostle of the Lord. When the Lord 
entered into the publican's house, the peni- 
tent sinner spoke in this wise: "Lord,* the 
half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I 
have defrauded any one I repay him fourfold." 
He who has much forgiven "will love much. 
It is true we cannot repay the Lord for his 
grace and mercy, but the desire to do so will 
prompt us to do good even to the very lowest 
of his brethren. He who observed the wid- 
ow's mite has surely seen that you gave your 
"all," the fruit of hard labor, for the good of 
the brethren-; and he who has promised to 
reward the giving of a cup of cold water, will 
bless the thank-offering which you offered in 



110 ECHOES 

Sing-Sing prison. " The glory of those who 
offer thanks is to be permitted to call upon 
Him in time of need," says the psalmist. 

Call on Him then, dear brother, when the 
tempter reappears. When Satan renews his 
assaults upon your soul, watch and pray to 
Jesus. He will hear and save you, and you 
will, as one sustained in Sing-Sing prison, and 
as one snatched from the eternal burning, 
praise him for ever. 

May the Lord sanctify your imprisonment 
to the everlasting liberty of his children. 
Amen. 

Your brother, EDITOR. 

Letter No. 2. 

A SECOND LETTER EKOM SING-SING PEISON. 

Sing-Sing, March 22, 1867. 

Bevekend and Faithful Servant of the 
Lord : I am greatly rejoiced to know that 
your noble Society does not despise the mite 
of the chief of sinners, but accepts it in Jesus' 
name as a thank-offering of the soul. 

My cup is running over in being permitted 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. Ill 

to acknowledge the heroic deeds of your So- 
ciety, and to praise the blessed name of my 
dearly beloved Saviour with another small 
gift. I pray you, therefore, to accept my 
three months' earnings, one dollar, and turn 
them into a thousand healing drops of God's 
eternal truth, each strong enough to soften 
one hardened heart, and create in each of them 
a hungering and thirsting for that righteous- 
ness which is acceptable with God. 

P. S. The Tract Society sent suitable 
books for the writer of this letter to the chap- 
lain at Sing-Sing. 

Letter No. 3. 

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM PRISON 

Has been received from that convict w T ho found 
the Saviour in Sing-Sing, whose heart is burn- 
ing with love for Jesus and perishing souls. 
It cost him many weeks of hard labor to save 
up a dollar, which he might well use for his 
personal necessity, for he is sick and without 
an earthly friend; but he denies himself, that 



112 ECHOES 

he might contribute his mite to the extension 
of his Master's kingdom. 

Thus he sent three dollars just before Christ- 
mas, with the following letter : 

Reveeend Sir : It is very doubtful whether 
a visit from an unworthy inmate of the living 
grave will give you pleasure, yet permit me to 
pen you a few lines. Several months ago I 
endeavored to give my precious Redeemer a 
thank-offering, which your Society repaid with 
books. This is the cause of my long silence. 
Rut now I desire most heartily to give him a 
Christmas present; but see here, dear Jesus, 
I have only three dollars. If I am free once, 
and earn better wages, then sliali thou have 
more. In the mean time, I earnestly pray 
thee not to despise my mite, and to fill the 
poor and miserable who seek thy face with 
thy Holy Ghost. 

[Note. — Here the writer of these letters 
was transferred, and he could no longer earn 
any thing.] 

Reader, learn of this poor convict how to 
offer thanks and practice love. ED. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 113 



Letter to Sister M. 



Sing Sing Prison, Sept. 1, 1865. 

Dear Sister: From tlie few words with 
which you favored me at your last visit here, 
I conclude that you are yet in the broad way 
which leadeth to ruin. Matt. 7 : 13. I think 
it therefore my duty to set before you the 
things belonging to your peace — concerning 
your soul and its future state ; for I am con- 
vinced that you have never sincerely consid- 
ered the matter, and therefore do not under- 
stand, nor can you comprehend or appreciate 
them. Although a letter of this nature may 
not be as agreeable to you as I could wish, 
yet should it please God to bless these lines, 
which leave my soul in a sorrowful state 
about the salvation of your immortal soul, 
and to open your spiritual eyes and under- 
standing, and bring you to self-knowledge and 
to a knowledge of Him who permits you to 
live, I would indeed be the happiest of his 
creatures, and you would in due time be noth- 
ing less. Come, then, dearly beloved sister, 
give me your hand, as you have so often done 

Echoes. 1 



114 ECHOES 

in the days of your youth, and go with me 
into the dying-chamber of a young, self-right- 
eous woman. 

Behold the wasted form of a newly-born 
babe clasped to her bosom. A sad scene, 
indeed. She offers her weeping husband and 
broken-hearted friends her icy hand, to de- 
part and to go to a place known only to her- 
self and God. But hark ! She is unfolding 
her very soul : " I am dying, my friends, I am 
dying. My hour has come, my day of grace 
is past, my time is ended, and I am not saved. 
In a few minutes will I be cast into the ever- 
burning fire. I have lived in sin, rejected 
Christ, and now he condemns me. Oh, that 
God would dissolve my soul into nothing ! 
But woe to me, his word proclaims eternal 
punishment to the wicked. I have always 
flattered myself with the mercy of God, but 
with shame confess that for the first time I 
see that he is not only merciful, but also just, 
and will punish our iniquities even on our 
children. Oh, what a horrible thought ! 
Shall the idol of my soul be condemned on 
my account ? Oh, that the fearful God would 



FKOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 115 

have destroyed me in the days of my child- 
hood, before I was capable of drawing my 
own offspring after me. Awful thought ! who 
can comprehend it ? A two-edged sword 
pierces through my soul. The wrath of God 
is upon me; infernal spirits stretching forth 
their arms to receive me." And her spirit 
fled. 

These, dear sister, were the parting words 
of an unconverted mother, and these are the 
last feelings of every unconverted sinner. 
This, unless you repent, will be your last por- 
trait. Do not feel yourself offended at my 
words, for I mean to lay the things before 
you just as they are. 

Tou have seen, and I hope felt, the horri- 
ble state of a hell-going soul ; and should you 
die to-day or to-morrow, which is not impos- 
sible, what would be the condition of your 
polluted soul? Do you, too, appeal to the 
mercy of a God whose stubborn and rebel- 
lious enemy ycu have been from your youth 
up ? Do you, too, lean on your own right- 
eousness, saying : " I am no worse than oth- 
ers?" Or do you perhaps think that these 



116 ECHOES 

things are not quite as bad as I present them, 
and if others are getting to heaven, you would 
surely get there too ? Oh, treacherous thought ! 
You may doubt the reality of the above de- 
scribed scene ; you may stifle the still small 
voice within and reject all the means of grace, 
nevertheless these things remain the same. 
Death is sure, judgment is sure, but there is 
no room in heaven for the enemies of God. 
Hear what Jesus says : " Except a man be 
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God." John 3 : 3. Do you believe him ? You 
do not ; for if you did, you would tremble day 
and night. But tell me, my dear soul, do y ou 
believe that the Bible contains the word of 
God ? I hope you do. But can you call the 
God of the creation a liar, and accuse him of 
having spoken what shall not come to pass ? 
As a rational being you cannot do so. When, 
then, if you acknowledge that the Bible is the 
word of God, I will presently show you that 
the God of the universe designs to punish his 
rebellious and unconverted creatures. 

Will you believe the apostle who ascendeth 
into the third heaven, and who saw things 



TKOM the LIVING GRAVE. 117 

•unutterable? Hear then what St. Paul says: 
" The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from 
heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, 
taking vengeance on them that know not God 
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with 
everlasting destruction from the presence of 
the Lord and from the glory of his power, 
when he shall come to be glorified in his 
saints, and to be admired in all them that 
believe in that day." 2 Thess. 1 : 7-10. 

Or will you believe the bosom friend of 
Jesus, who testifies and prophesies mysteri- 
ously in his revelation? Hear him : "And 
they shall drink of the wine of the wrath of 
God, which is poured out without mixture 
into the cup of indignation ; and they shall 
be tormented with fire and brimstone in the 
presence of the holy angels, and in the pres- 
ence of the Lamb : and the smoke of their 
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever : and 
they have no rest day nor night, who worship 
the beast and his image." That is, self or 
other perishable objects. Rev. 14 : 10, 11. 

Or would you rather have it from Jesus, the 



118 ECHOES 

Judge himself? Then hear him : " As there- 
fore the tares are gathered and burned in the 
fire ; so shall it be in the end of this world. 
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, 
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all 
things that offend, and them which do iniqui- 
ty ; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire : 
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the 
sun in the kingdom of their Father." Matt. 
13 : 40-43. Again, hear him pronounce the 
awful sentence : " Then shall he say unto 
them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye 
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the 
devil and his angels," etc. See Matt. 25. 

Should all this not suffice to convince your 
self-righteous spirit of its undone condition, 
then take up your Bible, and carefully read 
the following passages : Luke 13 : 27, 28 ; 
16 : 23-31 ; John 3 : 1-21. I might point out 
hundreds of such passages, but if these will 
not affect your soul, more efforts are useless. 
If you will not believe Jesus Christ the Son 
of God, how can you be expected to believe 
one of your fellow-mortals ? 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 119 

I hope, niy dearly-beloved sister, that your 
eyes may have, by the grace of God, been 
opened, and that yon may see yourself in the 
true light, just as you are ; namely, a misera- 
ble, guilty sinner, incapable to save yourself, 
and unworthy of the least of God's blessings. 
If you see yourself in this light, then, and not 
until then, there is some hope for you. Oh, 
how happy would I be to know that you were 
about to despair on account of your sins. Oh, 
if you could only see and feel that if God 
should withdraw his benevolent, father's hand 
from you, your body would sink into the 
grave and your soul into hell. 

If you were but determined to light against 
the world, the flesh, and the devil, and flee 
from the enemy to the foot of the cross, and 
there pour out your guilty soul beneath a dy- 
ing Saviour, it would be the wisest thing you 
ever did. Above all things, know that recon- 
ciliation is the thing needful to procure timely 
and eternal happiness. I pray you, therefore, 
in the name of the almighty God, the highest, 
best, and noblest of beings; in the name of 
your Creator, Benefactor, and Preserver, in 



120 ECHOES 

whom you live, move, and have your being, 
and before whose tribunal you must shortly 
appear, to give an account of all the deeds, 
words, and thoughts of your sinful life, and 
to accept of a sentence accordingly. Yes, in 
his great name I pray you to be reconciled to 
him. In the name of him who feeds the fowls 
of the air and who counts the hairs of your 
head, delay not, but turn to him. In the 
name of him who justly styles himself Love, 
and who has arranged the heaven of heavens 
with such a glory for his creatures as the 
heart of man cannot conceive, I pray you 
look to him. In the name of his awful maj- 
esty and justice, w T ho has made the dungeons 
of hell a prison for his enemies, and who holds 
the mighty fetters of darkness in his hand, 
where thousands of our race are now in vain 
asking for a drop of cold water to cool their 
parched tongues, and which will be your lot 
if you turn not to God. Oh, seek his mercy. 
Yes, dear soul, in the name of Jesus and 
for his sake, the Friend of sinners who took 
our nature upon him and who proclaimed 
peace and salvation for you. He prayed and 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 121 

wept, sweat great drops of blood, suffered, 
died, and arose again, ascended to heaven, 
and is now interceding for you at the great 
white throne, and who is to-day stretching 
forth his arms towards you, entreating you in 
a most affectionate manner to come to him. 
Oh, hear him how he pleads with you : " Come 
to me, and you shall for ever sit with me on 
my throne." " Come unto me, all ye that 
labor, and are heavy-laden, and I will give 
you rest." Oh, how sweet, how precious is 
such language ! 

He promises pardon for the guilty, liberty 
for the captive and slave, righteousness and 
redemption for sinners, sanctification for the 
wicked, rest for the weary, and consolation 
for the mourning; further, all his riches for 
the poor, the naked, the blind, the miserable, 
the forsaken, the outcast and lost. 

All this, my dear soul, he promises to you 

and me, without money and without price; 

and we are permitted, no, we are invited with 

godly sympathy and love, as he calls us with 

agonizing sorrow : " Sinner, why wtU you die?" 

Will you listen, will you open your heart? 

16 



122 ECHOES 

Oh, my dear soul, I have heard and obeyed 
his call, and received that peace and joy in 
the Holy Ghost which is not known to the 
world and its admirers. Yes, I have received 
a salvation which I w r ould not give for ten 
thousand worlds like this. Wake up, then, 
my dear soul. The Lord is here, and gra- 
ciously waits to fill you with heavenly bless- 
ings. The pearl of great price is awaiting 
you. Oh, be no longer joined to your idols. 
Come out of your sins. Gracious God in 
heaven, wilt thou have compassion upon this 
dead soul ? O Father, lead her to the Fount- 
ain of life and love, cleanse and revive her in 
the blood of the Lamb. Open her eyes, O 
God, and show her herself and thyself ; show 
her the end of her pilgrimage, death, judg- 
ment, and eternity, and then reveal to her thy 
goodness and loving-kindness, and point her 
to the wounds of Jesus as the only remedy 
for her disease. Oh, let thy Spirit dwell 
within her, and induce her to flee from the 
wrath to come. Enable her to bring up those 
young souls which thou hast given her in the 
w r ay they should go, that they may finally 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 123 

inherit thy kingdom. O God, what a sad 
scene — a family of many members running 
headlong into perdition ! How sad, oh, how 
sad! 

Dear sister, I have labored hard to reach 
the depth of your soul, yet I fear that you 
will again turn a deaf ear to my tender, but 
earnest entreaties, and remain careless about 
your eternal welfare, and say: Depart from 
me for this time; when I have a more con- 
venient season I will attend to these things ; 
but remember that God said : " My Spirit 
shall not always strive with man," and that 
the longer you reject him, the harder your 
heart will be, and the more hopeless will 
become your condition. Remember also how 
he dealt with me. He beckoned to me con- 
tinually from my youth up ; he laid me on a — 
seemingly — death-bed ; he removed the idols 
from my soul at different times, in order to 
attract my attention; but I would not give 
heed to his many calls until he cast me into 
prison to bewail my folly. 

If you cannot be persuaded to become wise ; 
if it is your heart's desire to run with open 



124 ECHOES ' 

eyes and outstretched arms, with children and 
children's children, into the gulf of eternal 
damnation, then pardon me for my intrusion, 
but remember that as a Christian it was my 
solemn duty to do so. Remember also, when 
you suffer pain in the unquenchable flames, 
that you have been warned in time by an 
affectionate brother. Remember that we 
must all appear before the judgment-seat of 
Christ, to give an account of our intrusted 
talents, and there permit me to answer in the 
presence of God, angels, and men to the in- 
quiry of the Judge about my talents: Lord, 
thou knowest that I have sought my duty 
towards these unhappy souls. Thou knowest, 
O Lord, that I besought them with tears to 
come to Jesus, and be reconciled to their 
Creator. Thou knowest that I pleaded for 
them at the throne of grace in great agony 
of soul from the day of my second birth until 
the coming of the Lord. 

Thus, dear sister, I commit your case into 
the hands of my blessed Saviour, who has 
snatched me as a brand from the burning, 
and established my goings in high places. 



FEOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 125 

May the good Lord bless thes£ lines, and 
answer my prayers in your speedy conversion, 
that we may finally meet in heaven, and re- 
joice in the glory of the Lamb for ever and 
ever, in whose blood my filthy robes have 
been washed, and in whose loving-kindness I 
am now swimming as in a boundless sea of 
happiness and joy. Oh, how delightful are 
the ways of the Lord ! How sorry I am for 
not having attended to these things in my 
youth, and instead of being a poor, miserable 
convict, a mighty warrior in the cause of 
Christ. 

Once more, dear sister, I pray you to con- 
sider these things. Oh, come and cast your- 
self before the Lord Jesus ; pour out your soul 
before him; plead his merits; give a portion 
of your time to him ; think of him and all he 
has done and is ready to do for you. Oh, sur- 
render to liim now that you may be eternally 
blessed. 

Thus pleads your loving brother, 

J. M — -. 



126 ECHOES 

<* • 

HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN.* 

In order to become a Christian, you must 
know yourself. You must know that you are 
animated by the evil spirit, whose chief qual- 
ities are malice, hatred, pride, stubbornness, 
ignorance, unbelief, selfishness, and other 
hell-deserving vices. Tou must know that 
your heart is a perfect volcano of iniquity, 
and by the instrumentality of an unbridled 
tongue you are spewing out from the abun- 
dance of your heart fire and brimstone, pro- 
fanity and blasphemy, which are very apt to 
find a lodging in the souls of those about 
you — men perhaps who have resolved to turn 
from their evil ways and commence a new 
life. Thus you are continually destroying the 
works of an ever-striving and pleading Spirit, 
and dragging your friends and neighbors un- 
consciously along with you into the bottom- 
less pit. This is the case, more or less, with 
every unconverted sinner. I care not how 
polished and refined your manners may be, 

* Extract from a letter to an inquirer. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 127 

unregcnerated you cannot do any thing ac- 
ceptable to God. " The carnal heart is enmity 
against God." Consequently you are doing 
the works of darkness. It is as hard for you 
to do any thing pleasing to God as it is for a 
camel to go through the eye of a needle. 
This is the unconverted sinner. 

Now to become what the Bible calls a child 
of God, the first step necessary is to look to 
Jesus for help. The next step is to lay down 
the banner of Satan, drop the armor of dark- 
ness, cast away the weapon of rebellion — to 
lay down your pride and selfishness, lay it all 
at the foot of the cross. Tea, lay your entire 
being, soul and body, and whatever you hold 
dear, at Jesus' feet. This done, the door of 
your heart is open to the waiting Spirit, who 
will surely enter in at your surrender, and fill 
your soul with peace and joy and love, such 
as human language is inadequate to express. 
Come, then, my dearest friend, and make the 
experiment. It is a speculation which cannot 
fail. Millions have tried it, and every one 
who has cast himself wholly on Jesus came 
out of the furnace of regeneration in perfect 



128 ECHOES 

safety, with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
It is true, your losses are great, but your gains 
are much, greater, and exceedingly sweet. 
Yes, you will lose all your hell-deserving vices, 
by which you are now fettered to Satan. You 
will lose all those evil and contemptible hab- 
its and ways which will, if persisted in, induce 
you one day to curse your fellow-men for not 
giving you warning in time — curse the day of 
your birth, and curse Him who styles himself 
"Love," and who permits you to live, for not 
destroying you before you w r ere capable of 
committing sin. Yes, you will curse your very 
existence when it is too late to bewail the fol- 
lies of a sinful life. 

Repent, and the Spirit of God will take 
possession of your soul. He will subdue the 
evil one, and plant the fruit-bearing tree of 
life within you, and fill your soul with a dying 
Saviour's love, and constrain you to glorify 
his holy name in every act, w T ord, and thought. 
All this the Holy Ghost will accomplish, pro- 
vided you will open your heart to him. Re- 
member that he cannot enter into your heart 
so long as you bar it against him with your 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 129 

pride and unbelief; and unless lie enter in 
your heart will not be changed; and "unless 
you are born again you cannot see the king- 
dom of God." John 3 : 3. Happiness, for 
which every soul is panting, originates in a 
change of heart. A change of heart origi- 
nates in faith and humility, and these origi- 
nate in self-knowledge. "Know thyself, O 
man," is the language of a heathen philoso- 
pher, and know that there is no good thing 
within you, is the teaching of the Bible and 
experience. 

When I studied myself — looked into myself, 
and compared myself with the Saviour-, I saw 
how vile a thing, how great a monster I was, 
and I became as humble as a little child. 
The hand of mercy was held out to me; I 
embraced it ; I began to love Jesus, and I was 
a Christian, and became a most joyous and 
happy man. 

A mere passing thought or desire to become 
a Christian is not sufficient. The unhappy 
man desires to become happy; the criminal 
desires to be set free; the dying desires to 
enter heaven. But what avail these desires ? 

Echoes. 17 



130 ECHOES 

Go and ask any or all of the fifteen hundred 
inmates of this institution if they did not wish 
to become Christians, and they will, without 
exception, answer yes. But why are they not 
Christians? Have they not the Bible, the 
sure guide to heaven, at their command? 
Have they not the everlasting gospel of Jesus 
Christ preached to them in a most powerful 
manner from Sabbath to Sabbath? Have 
they not a weekly prayer -meeting? Have 
they not a great number of religious books, 
written by godly men and women, calculated 
to lift the mind above sin and the world, and 
bind it to the Creator? Have they not all the 
means of grace which they can reasonably 
ask for? Have they not ample time for 
thought and reflection? and have they not 
experienced that the way of the transgressor 
is hard? Know they not that the wages of 
sin are bitter sorrow ? Is not the Holy Spirit 
striving with them individually ? Is not Jesus 
knocking at the doors of their hearts, begging 
to be admitted ? Have they not all the ad- 
vantages ever held out by a merciful Provi- 
dence to any community? and yet we cannot 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 131 

find one hundred of the entire number deci- 
ded Christians. Why is this ? They desire 
to be Christians and honest men and women, 
yet they do not choose to be such. " They 
love darkness rather than light, because their 
deeds are evil." Their hearts are evil and 
have a downv/ard tendency. 

It is true, we cannot contribute to our sal- 
vation, but we must choose it. We must 
accept it on the Saviour's own terms — free, 
without money, and without price. We must 
seek it; we must make efforts to obtain it. 
It is not sufficient for a hungry man to desire 
to have something to eat. No, he must pro- 
cure food, and then eat it, digest it, and his 
stomach will be satisfied. So it is with the 
soul. It desires something more than it pos- 
sesses. It is craving after happiness which 
the world cannot furnish, which must be 
sought in Jesus Christ. In him alone it is 
found. He is the life of the soul. Without 
him the soul is never satisfied, never happy. 

I had a shopmate some time ago who fre- 
quently told me that he sincerely longed to 
be a Christian, but that he would patiently 



132 ECHOES 

wait till God saw fit to make him one. In 
the mean time he went about his daily busi- 
ness, as careless aboiit spiritual things as a 
dumb beast. He would do what he thought 
was right — rejoice with the joyous, weep with 
the weeping, swear with the profane, and do 
as others do. He was worldly-minded, and 
considered Christian exertion as superfluous. 
But you say you were never a very great 
sinner, and consequently there is hope for 
pardon. Tell me, my good friend, have you 
sinned less than St. Paul, whose only crime 
consisted in doing what the law of his fathers 
approved, and who calls himself "the chief 
of sinners ?" Have you sinned less than St. 
Peter, who bitterly lamented his folly ? Have 
you sinned less than Lot's wife, who suffered 
the penalty of death for casting a sorrowful 
glance upon the vanities of Sodom, from 
which she had just departed? "What was the 
nature of her crime ? I answer, Unbelief and 
worldly-mindedness. She, with a carnal heart, 
loved the riches of the world better than the 
commandments of God. Are you not guilty 
of the same transgressions? Jesus says, "He 



FEOM THE LIVING GEAVE. 133 

that believeth not on the Son of God is con- 
demned already." And St. James remarks, 
" Whosoever offends in one point is guilty of 
the whole law." Have we, you and I, not 
transgressed each and every one of God's holy 
commandments ? Let us see. Let us resort 
to our guide, and look at the table of stone 
laid down in the twentieth chapter of Exodus. 
Here Jehovah speaks thus : 

"I am the Lord thv God, which have 
brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of 
the house of bondage. 

" Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

" Thou shalt not make unto thee any gra- 
ven image, or any likeness of any thing that 
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth be- 
neath, or that is in the w T ater under the earth." 

Here he demands supreme homage, of 
which we have robbed him, day after day. 
In our unconverted state we worship any thing- 
else rather than God, for our hearts are en- 
mity against him. Yes, we have worshiped 
our friends, ourselves, our property, and other 
perishing objects, and defrauded God of his 
just dues. 



134 ECHOES 

" Thou slialt not bow clown thyself to them, 
nor serve them : for I the Lord thy God am a 
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
upon the children unto the third and fourth 
generation of them that hate me ; 

"And showing mercy unto thousands of 
them that love me, and keep my command- 
ments." 

We bow ourselves down to that which we 
worship, to that which commands our affec- 
tions, which occupies our thoughts most ; and 
that which we love best is our god, be it 
whatever it may. If we are the offspring of 
wicked parents the curse of God is upon us, 
and no one can remove it except Jesus Christ. 

" Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold 
him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." 

Few persons ever lived on this earth that 
are not guilty of this transgression. It is 
committed in anger, in carelessness, and in 
formal prayer, and in either case it is viola- 
ting the law of God. 

" Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it 
holy. 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 135 

" Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy 
work : 

" But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the 
Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any 
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, 
thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor 
thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy 
gates : 

"For in six days the Lord made heaven 
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, 
and rested the seventh day: wherefore the 
Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed 
it." 

Have you always observed every point in 
this commandment ? I never have. I con- 
fess that I have violated every holy Sabbath- 
day the Lord has permitted me to see. 

"Honor thy father and thy mother: that 
thy days may be long upon the land which 
the Lord thy God giveth thee." 

Instinct induces the senseless brute to com- 
ply with this command, while you and I have 
given offence to those who tenderly loved and 
nourished us. 

"Thou shalt not kill." 



136 ECHOES 

Jesus Christ says in reference to this com- 
mandment : " He that hateth his brother is a 
murderer." It is even so. Spiritually, we 
kill our enemies. We do n't love them ; they 
have no place in our affections ; they are dead 
to us. 

" Thou shalt not commit adultery." 

The Saviour defines this : He that lusted 
after a woman committed adultery in his 
heart. 
• " Thou shalt not steal." 

He only is faultless in this point who ceases 
to rob God. 

" Thou shalt not bear false witness against 
thy neighbor." 

False witness is given by every one who 
speaks a falsehood, either from carelessness, 
from misunderstanding, or from an evil heart. 
Our neighbor is he or she with whom we come 
in contact. 

" Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, 
thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor 
his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor 
his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy 
neighbor's." 



FKOM THE LIVING- GIIAVE. 137 

He that desires what is not his own, wiiat 
he has no right to, is committing theft in his 
heart, as well as he who hates his fellow-man 
is committing murder. 

Thus, my dear friend, we have seen that 
you and I have broken every point of a holy 
and just lav/ — a law which cannot and will 
not be changed, for God is unchangeable. 
What then is the consequence? ''The soul 
that sinneth it shall die," is the language of 
the Lawgiver. Eternal damnation is our just 
portion. Yes, we are offending our Creator 
and Benefactor in almost every act, word, and 
thought, and we are sinners of the blackest 
type, just such as Jesus came to save. "Will 
you let him save you ? Will you call on him 
and implore his forgiveness ? Will you cease 
to do evil and learn to do well? # Will you 
come out of nature's darkness into marvelous 
light, and be a happy, ever-rejoicing Chris- 
tian? Would you be rich? then come and 
accumulate treasures in heaven. Would you 
be a noble man ? then open your heart to 
God, and let Christ's constraining love be the 
actuating spring of all your doings. Would 

18 



138 .ECHOES 

you be a great man? tlien let the great and 
everlasting Spirit inspire yon. 

I am sure you desire to be a happy man, 
and I long to see you as such, and would 
gladly do any thing in my power to make 
you such. But this is a matter between you 
and your God. "Without him there is no 
happiness. I am speaking from experience. 
I have sought happiness for many long years, 
t but failed until I sought and found it in God, 
through Jesus Christ; and not for all the 
treasures of the world would I give up this 
fountain of happiness, from which I draw so 
abundantly day after day. 

Do not listen to the enemy and his many 
advocates, who would have you go on in your 
present course until you finally fall a victim 
to his cruelty; nor listen to those flattering 
ministers of Satan who would persuade you 
that you have nothing to do but patiently 
await God's own time to save you. This is a 
sad mistake. God will not save you in Ms own 
time, but he will save you in your own time. 
He will save you to-day if you are in earnest 
about it. If you will only surrender your 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 139 

heart, your affections, your inner man to him, 
he will enter in immediately with his heavenly 
hosts, and cast out the forces of the enemy, 
and will induce you to love him, and you are 
a Christian. 

As to nothing to do, I must say that the 
Bible and experience teach differently. " Strait 
is the gate and narrow is the way which lead- 
eth unto life, and few there be that find it." 
Matt. 7 : 14. And in another place the Sav- 
iour says : " The kingdom of heaven suffereth 
violence, and the violent take it by force." 
It is evident from this that he who puts his 
hands into his lap, awaiting an outward mira- 
cle to transfer him to heaven, will be disap- 
pointed ; and he who gratifies his own pleas- 
ures, and lives after the lusts of his own heart, 
will fail to find the strait gate and narrow 
way which lead through happiness into bless- 
edness. Experience tells us that the way to 
heaven is grave. Yes, it takes all I can do to 
keep in this narrow way, and with all my en- 
ergy I progress but slowly. Yet, for all this, 
I find the Christian's life an exceedingly sweet 
life; for every new step I take I receive a 



140 ECHOES 

measure of blessing which makes me intense- 
ly happy for a considerable time. 

But there is another point which I cannot 
pass unnoticed, namely: the Christian com- 
munity dwells largely upon death-bed con- 
versions, so much so, that numbers of uncon- 
verted sinners really believe it time enough 
to repent when they come to die. They 
mean to cease from doing evil when their 
lives are finished and they can commit sin no 
longer. They mean to learn to do good when 
they get to heaven. They mean to offend 
God as long as he allows them to live on earth 
and then be transformed into pure and spot- 
less saints. Oh, awful infatuation ! Oh, how 
these spirits must curse their deceitful friends 
who have unknowingly sealed their damnation. 

We hear much of death-bed conversions, 
and conversions in the eleventh hour, but 
could their advocates look beyond the veil 
and behold their supposed pearls among the 
outcasts, they would doubtless observe silence 
on this point and hide their weakness, and 
many a slumberer would think of his soul's 
welfare before it is too late. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 141 

"We do not doubt death-bed conversions 
for we know that all thing are possible with 
God, but -at the same time we believe that 
nine-tenths reported have no foundation. 
They are produced by fear of death, judg- 
ment and hell — by physical weakness and by 
the ceaseless persuasions and entreaties of 
their surrounding and lamenting friends, who 
desire to do them good, if possible to lift 
them up into heaven. They are perchance 
fortunate enough to extract a word from the 
sufferer's lips, who generally understands 
their disease and frequently heals them by a 
few pleasing words— Love, in spite of its 
strength and durability, has a great many 
weak points — especially in the sick cham- 
ber — which generates hope without the slight- 
est foundation; and we believe our friends 
safely lodged in Jesus' arms, when they have 
not trodden the narrow way, nor stormed the 
gates of heaven. "We are weak, imaginative 
creatures, and are very apt to hope too much 
where our and our friend's interest is con- 
cerned, and this is downright selfishness. 

What pleasure is it to a dying man to look 



142 ECHOES 

with horror over a life of sin and folly with 
but a faint hope for the life to come? Can 
he die happy in the assurance of meeting 
those, to whom he proved a bitter enemy 
during his stay on earth? His sins may be 
forgiven, Jesus may stand by him, but the ene- 
my will repeat his assaults until the last mo- 
ment, for he had possession of him and means 
to keep him for ever, and the poor sinner 
cannot really die happy. This he only can do, 
who according to the divine command, "gave 
his heart to God in his youth," who became 
a Christian, who walked in the narrow way, 
who ceased to do evil, learned to do good, 
learned to oppose Satan, who made Jesus his 
friend and God the supreme object of his 
affection. 



w 




from the living grave. 143 

The King of Love. 

HE English boast of a noble 
queen ; the Prussians of a wise 
Bismarck; the French of a great 
emperor; the Romanist of . a holy 
father in Rome, and a blessed virgin 
in heaven. But what is the substance of my 
joy and admiration? It is the friend that 
sticketh closer than a brother. It is the King 
of Icings and Lord of lords. I know him well. 
I have spent an hour with him on the evening 
when he washed the feet of his disciples. I 
have seen his agony in Gethsemane. I have 
tarried with him on Golgotha, where he prayed 
for his murderers : "Father, forgive them, for 
they know not what they do." 

I have investigated the change which his 
appearance produced in society. I saw the 
fruits of his life, and have experienced the 
power of his glorious gospel, and conclude 
that Jesus Christ must be the King of Love. 



144 ECHOES 

I sought Iiim with the faith of the pleading 
woman of Canaan, and a publican's spirit. I 
f onnd him and laid myself at his feet, looking 
up into his face, and saw the unspeakable 
beauty, the exquisite sweetness, felt and ex- 
perienced accordingly and most abundantly 
the loving kindness of this King of Love. 

Yes, he is love ! St. John, his only bosom 
friend, tells us in the first chapter of his gos- 
pel, that "In the beginning was the Yford, 
and the Word was with God, and the "Word 
was God." That is, Jesus Christ was with 
God in the beginning of the creation, and he 
himself was God. Him I recognize as the 
God of loye. Love, long suffering, and pa- 
tient ; slow to anger. 

Yes, he permits his creatures to do as they 
please. He allows the scoffer, the profane, 
the blasphemer, the drunkard, the licentious, 
the thief, the murderer, the seducer, the 
gambler and every one else to follow the in- 
clinations of their own evil hearts. His sun 
shines upon the just and the unjust, and his 
rain descends upon the good and the evil, 
and all his blessings are equally divided. All 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 145 

creatures testify that God is love I The birds 
in the air sing forth his praises. The beasts 
of the field rejoice in him who made them. 
The mountains, rivers, and seas acknowledge 
his greatness. The insignificant insect praises 
its sustainer. The little brook murmurs love. 
Every sprig of grass, plant, and tree, point to v 
him whose name is love. Every grain of dust 
in the streets, and sand on the ocean's shore, 
gives evidence that God is love. 

His love is evident and visible in all 
things which human eye can measure and 
intellect comprehend. The smiles of the re- 
turning sun in the east are love as pure as 
the smiles of a happy infant on its mother's 
breast. The moon giving light in dark homes, 
is a welcome messenger of love. The num- 
berless stars are rays of love. Thus we see 
that all things are emblems of his love. 

But in nothing is the power of his love so 
greatly and forcibly manifested as in the con- 
version of the human soul. The roaring lion 
is transformed into an angel of mercy. Yes, 
the icebergs of the unconverted heart, when 
touched by the fervent heat of a dying Sa- 

Ecboes. 19 



146 ECHOES 

viour's cleansing blood become wells of living 
water, springing forth in every direction, nour- 
ishing and cherishing his little lambs, turning 
sinners into saints, and spirits of darkness 
into spirits of light. This well becomes a 
mighty stream springing up into eternal life 
gladdening the heart of him whom I know to 
be the King of Love. 

He is a most wonderful being. He was con- 
ceived by the Holy Ghost, born of a virgin 
who was raised in the temple for the service 
of God. His name was sent from heaven. 
Wise men from distant lands were guided by 
his star to his birthplace and worshiped him, 
while his earthly sovereign sought to kill him. 
When but twelve years old, he disputed with 
the doctors of divinity to the astonishment of 
all around. Before he made himself known 
to the world, he was baptized by the greatest 
of prophets, in the presence of a great multi- 
tude of people while God's spirit descended 
upon him, saying: "This is my beloved Son, 
in whom I am well pleased." This same 
spirit carried him out into the wilderness 
where he fasted forty days. There he was 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 147 

visited by Satan, who meant to make an in- 
strument of his own of him. He was greatly 
tempted but sinned not. He began to preach, 
and what glorious language did he utter, es- 
pecially in his Sermon on the Mount; hear 
him : "Blessed are the poor, the mourning, the 
meek, they that hunger and. thirst after right- 
eousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the 
peacemakers and they that are persecuted 
for righteousness' sake," theirs, says he, "is 
the kingdom of heaven. " He exhorts to alms- 
giving, to pray, to fast, to serve God, to enter 
in at the strait gate, to love God and man, 
even our enemies. He went about doing 
good. He relieved the weary and heavy laden, 
the distressed and disconsolate from their 
grief, and made them glad. He preached his 
everlasting gospel by the seashore, on the 
mountain top, by the highway and byway, in 
market-places, in synagogues, and wherever 
he could find sinners. He converted the pub- 
lican, and persuaded the ruler of his sinful 
nature, and urged repentance as a necessity 
for eternal life. He rebuked the Pharisees 
and Sadducees, the high -priest, the Jews and 



148 ECHOES 

Gentiles for tlieir unbelief and hypocrisy. He 
healed all manner of diseases, such as were 
never before healed, he restored the withered 
hand, cured the palsy, relieved the sufferer 
from a thirty-eight years' pain, he stopped a 
tw elve years issue of blood, cleansed the leper, 
straightened a crooked woman, healed the drop- 
sy, and cured ail manner of disease known to 
a suffering race. He created a great sensa- 
tion among the people. He was poor, dwelt 
with sinners, yet angels ministered unto him. 
He fed five thousand people with five loaves 
of bread and a few fishes. Again, he fed four 
thousand men, women and children, with seven 
loaves of bread and two small fishes. He 
walked on the sea, rebuked the wind and 
waves, and there was a calm. He entered as 
king into Jerusalem and wept over it. He 
purged the temple and recognized the wid- 
ow's offering. He foretold his death, resur- 
rection, and ascension. He foretold the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, and the world, the 
persecution of the righteous, and the disper- 
sion of the Jews, his second coming, and many 
other wonderful things. He turned water 



FKOM THE LIVING GKATIT. 149 

into wine, lie cursed a fig-tree and it withered, 
and lie caught fish containing money. He 
talked with a sinful wonian at Jacob's well, 
and imparted to her the water of life ; he for- 
gave the woman taken in adultery, he cursed 
the centurion's servant at a distance, he told 
a sorrowing mother to weep not, and raised her 
only consolation — a dear son — from the dead, 
and gave him back to her. He wept with 
Mary and Martha at their brother's grave 
and awoke him from his — supposed — eternal 
slumber. He raised Jairus' daughter from 
the dead ; he cured the lunatic, cleared the 
soul from the possessions of hell, drove out 
devils, opened the ear of the deaf, loosened 
the tongue of the dumb, and gave sight to 
the blind; he associated with sinners of the 
blackest type, and claimed to be their friend ; 
he loved little children and promised them 
the kingdom of heaven; he had compassion 
on the multitudes and blessed them en masse. 
Some called him God, some man, and others 
devil. He wept with the weeping, and rejoiced 
with the joyous; he gave his apostles power to 
cast out infernal spirits, and imparted his own 



150 ECHOES 

spirit unto them ; he expounded the law of the 
old dispensation and laid down a new code ; he 
is the lawgiver and the fulfiller of the same; 
he calls himself the truth, the life, and the 
way to heaven ; he is the bread of life, yet 
was often hungry &nd weary ; he is the good 
shepherd, and knows every sheep of the flock 
by name ; he is the vine, without him there is 
no eternal life; lie is the light of the world, 
it shines brilliantly in dark places ; he is the 
door, through him we must enter into rest. 
He says: "Prayers in my name shall be an- 
swered." But he demands love and obedi- 
ence ; he promises his comforter, and leaves his 
peace to all who earnestly ask for it; he prays 
for his little ones that they might be kept in 
his truth, and be glorified with all believers 
in heaven. He is the chief of ten thousand, 
the one altogether lovely, and is called the 
Prince of Peace, The Mighty God, The Ever- 
lasting Father, yet permits a sinful woman to 
wash his sacred feet with her tears, wipe them 
with her hair and anoint them with ointment. 
He says : " Whosoever will do the will of my 
Father in heaven, the same is my brother, and 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 151 

sister, and mother." Matt. 12:50. He for- 
gave sins freely and cured every malady of 
body and soul. It is said of him : " And whith- 
ersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or 
country, they laid the sick in the streets, and 
besought him that they might touch if it were 
but the border of his garment : and as many 
as touched him were made whole." Mark 
6:56. 

This is but a shadow of His character, for 
words cannot fathom the depth of eternal 
love. But if the man Jesus cannot be com- 
prehended by human wisdom, what shall we 
say of God Jesus, who holds ten thousand of 
such worlds as ours in existence, and who 
holds the keys of heaven and hell, and of 
every individual heart in his hand ? Can a 
man refuse to acknowledge his authority and 
bow before him ? Who can reject so loving 
a being ? 

He was the greatest teacher the world ever 
beheld, yet we have no record that he ever 
went to school or obtained wisdom from man. 
He was a physician before whom every ail- 
ment, small and great, pertaining to body 



152 ECHOES 

and soul, disappeared. He never studied 
medicine, never went to college, yet never 
lost a case in his practice. He was a law- 
maker, such as never before or after him had 
his equal. He spoke as man never spoke. 
He was a perfect example of humility and 
meekness. In him dwelt the fullness of the 
Godhead bodily. In him I find the sub- 
stance of my joy. He is the delight of my 
soul and the sole object of my admiration. 
Truly, he is the King of Love. 




FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 153 



Prayer the Key of Weayen, 

EAYEE is the key of heaven. 
It unlocks the great heart of 
God. It unbars the gates of the 
celestial city, and brings trains of 
mercies to the petitioner. It was 
employed by all the patriarchs, prophets, and 
saints in all ages, and whosoever made use 
of it had access to the unsearchable riches 
of heaven. With it the prophet Elijah closed 
the heavens, and no rain fell for three and 
a half years, after which he opened them 
again with the same power, and rain fell in 
abundance. 

By prayer Hezekiah added fifteen years to 
his life, and brought the sun back ten de- 
grees, after it had gone down. Isa. 38. 

By prayer Joshua arrested the sun and 
moon at noonday, and the sun hastened not 
to go down for a whole day, saying : " Sun, 
stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, moon, 

in the valley of Ajalon." Josh. 10 : 12. 

20 



154 ECHOES 

"We read in Exodus 32:10, of the wrath 
which an angry God has prepared for an un- 
grateful people, which he intended to sweep 
from the face of the earth. But behold, an 
intercessor appears. Moses, the faithful ser- 
vant of God, by earnest entreaty arrested the 
uplifted arm of fiery vengeance against Isra- 
el. "Let me alone, let me alone, said the 
frowning avenger, that my wrath may wax 
hot against them, and that I may consume 
them, and I will make thee a great nation." 
But in vain ; Moses continued in prayer and 
God heard and granted his request. 

Thus we see that there is at least one 
power — the sword of prayer — by which the 
creature may influence the Creator. It is a 
power which a child in early years and the 
hoary head of age can wield. Sodom and 
Gomorrah were destroyed because there was 
not moral force enough in them to sustain 
them. The world was destroyed once be- 
cause praying and righteous souls were scarce. 
This globe is covered with polluted Sodoms ; 
yet for the sake of the few righteous in them 
they are spared. 



FKOM THE LIVING GEAVE. 155 

Mary, the queen of Scotland, said she feared 
the prayers of John Knox more than all the 
armies of Europe. How mighty then is a 
praying man ! 

Prayers with tears are, most effectual with 
God. The Holy Scriptures abound in exam- 
ples to prove their power. They open the 
fountain of love and prepare a way by which 
the soul has access to the throne of grace. 
They open heaven and draw down trains of 
blessings which make the petitioner rejoice 
with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Mary 
Magdalen asked the Lord for the forgiveness 
of her great and numerous sins, Luke 7 : 38 ; 
washing his sacred feet with her tears, and 
wiping them with the hairs'of her head; kiss- 
ing his feet unceasingly, and anointing them 
with ointment. And he said to her, "Thy 
sins are forgiven; thy faith hath made thee 
whole; go in peace." His love, which pass- 
eth understanding, found an echo in her soul. 
She loved him tenderly, and the result was, 
the forgiveness of all her sins. 

St. Paul writes of our Saviour : " Who, in the 
days of his flesh, with strong cries and tears, 



156 ECHOES 

offering up prayers and supplications, and was 
heard in that he feared." Heb. 5:7. Mil- 
lions of prayers, however, are never heard 
nor answered, simply because the petitioner 
is not in earnest. He who clings with both 
hands to one or more cherished idols, while 
he casts but one fainting glance on Him whom 
he addresses, is guilty of downright mockery. 
Says the Holy One, "He who turned away 
his ear from the learning of the law, his 
prayer shall be an abomination." Pro v. 28:9 
Again, "I will turn my eyes from you and 
will not hear you; when you stretch forth 
your hands I will turn away my eyes from 
you; and when you multiply prayers I will 
not hear." Isa. 1:15. 

Humble and faithful prayer if persevered 
in and accompanied by works meet for re- 
pentance, will break the chains of hell and 
enable the captive to flee from the wrath of 
an angry God. "Ask," said Jesus; "yea, 
every one that asketh receiveth, and he who 
seeks shall find." Matt. 7 : 8. 

The desire, of the sinner to escape punish- 
ment is the work of God's eternal love, who 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 157 

would have no one to perish, but bring all 
to a knowledge of God as it is in Jesus Christ. 
But the command is : " When you shall stand 
and pray, forgive, if you have aught against 
any man." Mark 11:25. "Leave there thy 
gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be 
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and 
offer thy gift." Matt, 5:24. 

Here we plainly see that however humble, 
faithful, and fervent our prayers may be, if 
we hate or dislike the least of God's rational 
beings, he will not even listen to us. In order 
to carry this point we must not only forgive 
our enemies, but must go to them and show 
a disposition of reconciliation, beg their par- 
don for the (supposed) wrong inflicted on them, 
show them the spirit of brotherly love, pray 
for them and do good to them. Thus by 
imitating his goodness, most adverse to our 
nature, we exercise a heroic spirit, which con- 
quers the devil and is well pleasing to God. 
But if we have no enemies to forgive we have 
friends and neighbors w T ith whims, weak- 
nesses, faults of character, disagreeable man- 
ners and the like, which if we bear patiently, 



158 ECHOES 

enables us to fulfil one of Christ's noblest 
commandments: namely, "Bear ye one an- 
other's burdens." 

Again, " Deal thy bread to the hungry and 
bring the needy and homeless into thy house ; 
when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, 
and despise not thine own flesh." Isa. 58:7. 
A fruitless tree is cut down and cast into 
the fire. But many a one may say, it is not 
in my power to give alms, to fast, to wait 
upon the sick, or to perform any such good 
wqrks, hence the means here given to make 
prayer efficacious is for me not practicable. 
In this case it must be remembered that be- 
sides these so-called exterior good works, 
there are others ; interior good works which 
are calculated to make prayer powerful with 
God. Of these I will mention but one, viz., 
the denial of the will in order to do God's 
holy will in the most perfect manner. If we 
would have God to delight in us, we must 
strive to delight in him. Says the Psalmist, 
"Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall 
give thee the desires of thy heart." Psa. 37:4. 
He only who is doing the Lord's will with a 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 159 

cheerful heart delights in him. His petition 
according to David, shall be granted. If we 
wish to obtain what we ask and what he 
promised, we must comply with his request : 
"Love one another, and increase in love to 
me." This can be accomplished only by 
making him our constant companion, which 
is done by prayer alone. If we pray we are 
in him ; that is, if we think of him, we pray. 
If we speak to him we pray. If we look upon 
him we pray. "Whenever our hearts go out 
after him — after the things which are good 
and acceptable before God — we pray. Pow- 
erful is he with God who lends a ready ear 
and a willing heart to his voice, for he is good 
and gracious to such an extent, that he not 
only grants our prayers, but anticipates them. 
" And it shall come to pass, before they call 
I will answer." Isa. 65:24. "Would to God 
that all men everywhere would understand 
and practice this sublime habit of prayer. 

One reason why our prayers remain un- 
heard and unanswered is, want of faith, want 
of confidence. Experience teaches us that 
he who wavers aftd has no confidence in God, 



160 ECHJDES 

prays in yain. If we wish, our prayers to be 
heard, they must be offered in faith. "Ail 
things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, 
believing, ye shall receive." Matthew 21: 22 ; 
Mark 11:24. And as he is a true and faith- 
ful God, he cannot break his promise. What 
did the great physician say to his patients ? 
According to your faith be it done unto you. 
They believed and were healed. 

If asked, he gives more than asked for. 
The thief on the cross only asked to be re- 
membered, and was told that paradise should 
be his portion that day. Luke 23:43. Sol- 
omon asked for wisdom, and received without 
measure, besides, immense riches and glory. 
King Hezekiah prayed for the restoration of 
his health. It was answered with fifteen 
additional years to his life and a miraculous 
victory over his enemies. Isa. 38. 

Thus w^e see how lavishly the Lord bestows 
his gifts upon all who ask. His sun and his 
countenance smile upon all. 

"Who will dare to deny after these consid- 
erations, that God is for us the best, the kind- 
est, loving, and most liberal Father! Jesus 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 161 

Christ, who is God, acquainted his disciples 
and followers with their Creator by the meek- 
est, sweetest, and most amiable name, "Fa- 
ther." Hear him : " Thus therefore shall you 
pray: Our Father who art in heaven," Matt. 
6 : 9. Again, " Pray to thy Father in secret, 
and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay 
thee." Why is this? It is because his name 
is above all others, and he is pleased to be 
called " Father." 

We have received the adoption of sons, 
whereby we cry, "Abba, Father," just as lit- 
tle children stretch forth their hands after 
their father, crying, "Papa," an expression of 
the most tender love and affection, and of 
the most unbounded confidence. Tou cannot 
fathom the depth of your earthly father's 
heart and affections, much less can you sound 
the bottomless ocean of eternal love. 

The prodigal son well knew how guilty he 
was in the sight of his father, yet remem- 
bering the boundless love of a parent's heart, 
he returned. How could he go to a father 
whom he had so grievously offended ? What 
hope could he have to be received into the 

Echoes, 21 



162 ECHOES 

family again? "Oh," said lie, "he is ray 
father, and my father's heart and love have 
not died ay/ay. I will go to him without 
fear." And he succeeded. 

Importunate Prayer. 

Jesus Christ has, it is true, promised to 
give us every thing we ask the Father through 
him ; but he has not promised to answer im- 
mediately. Experienced Christians and the 
Bible assign many reasons for which he often 
defers granting our petitions. 1st. That he 
may the better try our confidence in him. 
2d. That we the more long for his gifts, and 
hold them in higher esteem. He defers the 
grants in order to increase our desire and 
appreciation for them. 3d. That he may 
keep us near him, and give us occasion to 
pray with greater fervor and vehemence. He 
delays in order to let us feel our weakness 
more deeply, and give us a due regard for 
his goodness. He restrains his promises, 
that we may exercise ourselves more thor- 
oughly in the school of affliction, and come 
out of the fiery furnace of tribulation pure 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 163 

and holy, well supplied with, his love and 
grace. The constant expectation of his Spirit 
is a good spur to inflame us, and bind us more 
closely to God. If we are patient, resigned, 
and determined in prayer until he is pleased 
to answer us, we will not be disappointed in 
our hopes and expectations, and receive what 
we ask of him, providing our prayers are not 
selfish, and that they tend to the glorification of 
his holy name. Jesus 'assures us of it : " Ask, 
and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." 
Luke 11 : 9. Ask the millions of believers 
now living if they ever prayed in vain. The 
answer will be : " No ; God cannot slight our 
petitions. His nature compels him to com- 
ply with our desires in due time, if they are 
of the right kind." Abraham and Sarah were 
very dear to the Lord, yet they had to pray 
for long and weary years before they beheld 
the promised seed. They fainted not. His 
word was sure. A son was given them. How 
did Jesus treat the woman of Canaan w^ho 
came out of those coasts crying out and said 
to him : " Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou 



164 ECHOES 

Son of David, my daughter is grievously 
vexed with a devil?" Matt. 15:22. And 
what does the Lord reply? He does not 
even as much as look at her, nor does he 
give her any answer. Still she continues to 
pray with great humility, " Lord, help me !" 
She had made her daughter's case her own, 
as a good mother would naturally do. But 
the Lord seemed not to hear her until his dis- 
ciples, weary and annoyed with her supplica- 
tions, came and besought him, saying : " Send 
her away, for she crieth after us." He an- 
swered her : " It is not good to take the bread 
from the children and cast it to the dogs." 
Even in this conduct of our Lord we discover 
his unusual kindness and condescension, which 
he would deign to show to the greatest sinner. 
He did not, by his manner of acting, discour- 
age the woman in the least. She retained all 
hopes of being heard. Jesus had his wise 
design in treating her thus. He knew her 
faith and confidence, and desired to magnify 
it ; and as she pleads on, it shines forth more 
brilliantly. " Truth, Lord," she answered, 
"yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall 



FROM THE LIVING GEAVE. 165 

from the masters' table." Boundless humil- 
ity ! Jesus, being conquered by her humility 
and faith, answered : " O woman, great is thy 
faith ; be it done to thee as thou wilt. And her 
daughter was made whole that very hour." 
Had her faith been weak, she would not have 
thus pleaded, and would have failed in her 
object. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, 
was treated likewise. She prayed to God 
seventeen years before the fruits of her peti- 
tions were visible — the conversion of her only 
son, who became a mighty pillar in the church 
of Christ. Had she become tired of praying 
and weeping before the Lord, in all probabil- 
ity the name of Augustine would not now 
shine with such lustre in the history of the 
church. 

"What," says St. Augustine, "is more ex- 
cellent, more profitable, more sublime, and 
sweeter to the soul than prayer ?" And I add, 
what is more pleasing to a love-burning soul 
than to minister to those in want? Behold 
the angel of mercy, who carries a large heart 
well stored with divine consolations for the 
disconsolate and distressed, and a basket well 



166 ECHOES 

packed with precious food and materials to 
the hungry and needy. Is she not a direct 
messenger from heaven, sent by the Father 
of love ? 

Ah, could my fellow-creatures but see and 
feel the reality of this saying of Jesus, " It is 
more blessed to give than to receive," and 
comply with it, how many more prayers would 
be answered ; how much more happiness 
would be experienced on the part of the giver 
as well as the receiver ; how much more would 
God be praised; how much more his name 
glorified, his kingdom extended, and souls 
saved ! 

The way to the celestial city is wearisome. 
Says one : " I confess that it cost me innu- 
merable sufferings, for the road to virtue is 
narrow and hard, but by perseverance, faith- 
ful prayer has become my life, my nurse, my 
mistress, my refreshment, my consolation, my 
rest, my fortune, my all in all. Prayer has 
nourished me as a tender mother nourishes 
her infant with milk." 

The Lord not only freely gives what we 
ask, but he sends trains of blessings to those 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 167 

who really desire tliem from their inmost 
souls. Join the soul to the desire for them, 
by making use of the means here laid down 
to acquire them, and rest assured that God 
will deal with you in a most liberal manner, 
as is peculiar to his parental heart. Says 
one : " Since I have given myself up to holy 
prayer, I am quite a different creature." This 
is the testimony of every praying soul. Says 
another: "Faithful prayer, considered in its 
nature or quality, is a familiar conversation 
and union with God." Considered in its effi- 
cacy, it is the preservation of the world, a 
companion on journeys, a bridge over the 
high waters of temptation, a bulwark against 
the enemy, the nourishment of the soul. It 
is the anticipation of future joy, a perpetual 
occupation, the source of virtue, the channel 
of all graces, the medicine of the heart and 
all spiritual ailment, the ground -pillar of 
Christian hope. Prayer is a mirror to show 
the progress in the spiritual life ; it is the 
thermometer of the soul, a delight to our 
guardian-angel, the declaration of the dispo- 
sition of the heart, a ladder to God, the sweet- 



168 ECHOES 

ness of life, the protection of the soul, a tor- 
ment to Satan, an acceptable homage to God. 
Prayer is the preserver of spiritual health. 
It is the antidote of hatred, the best rule in 
making just laws, the best means to govern 
aright. It is a standard in war and a strong- 
hold in peace. It is the source of all true 
joy, and the best physician for the dying. 
Faithful prayer produces a transfiguration of 
the soul. It is the ark of the covenant, the 
wonder-working rod of Moses, a pillar of 
cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It 
is the only key of heaven, the only language 
understood there, and the only interpreter of 
holy writ. 

We know from experience that the Chris- 
tian's life is a life of joy, peace, happiness, 
and pleasure far beyond the measurement of 
human language. But in order to experience 
it as such, it also becomes a life of continual 
warfare against the world, the flesh, and the 
devil. 

It is true we cannot continually stand and 
pray, yet the enemy has nothing else to do 
but to lay baits for us; and what wonder is it 



FEOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 169 

when tlie just man falls seven times a day? 
If we do not pray unceasingly, we are very 
apt to fall seven thousand times. But how is 
this to be done ? 

This question was once brought before a 
council of learned divines, who, after due 
consideration, pronounced it a divine mys- 
tery which " human wisdom cannot compre- 
hend. A young girl who was present, and 
hearing the verdict of the learned jury, beg- 
ged permission to tell her experience con- 
cerning the question. It was refused. She 
was looked upon as a puny, insignificant crea- 
ture. She insisted upon telling how she prayed 
without ceasing. She gained her point, and 
commenced, saying very humbly : " I am a 

poor servant-girl in Mr. 's family, but I 

love Jesus dearly, and I am rich in grace. I 
enjoy life in all its beauty and loveliness while 
looking to Jesus. As I awake in the morn- 
ing, I look to him, saying, 'Come, dearest 
Saviour, go with me to-day, that I stray not 
from the path of virtue.' I raise myself up, 
saying, c Father, lift thy countenance upon 

me to-day, that I may not walk in darkness.' 

22 



170 ECHOES 

I clothe myself, saying, c Lord, clothe me with 
Christ's righteousness, that at his coming he 
may not find me in filthy rags or totally na- 
ked.' I fall upon my knees and open my 
heart and mouth in prayer to God, and he is 
pleased to fill 'me with treasures unspeakable. 
I descend the stairs, saying, 'Lord, as my 
body goes downward, let my soul'go up to be 
for ever with the'e.' I enter the kitchen, with, 
6 Come, blessed Spirit, enter into my soul and 
cast out the demon.' On building a fire in 
the stove, I say from my inmost soul, ' Kindle 
a flame of sacred love within me, that my heart 
may burn for thy glory, and that my superiors 
might be warmed by its fervent heat.' On 
going for water, I think of Jesus and the 
woman at Jacob's well. I tarry a moment, 
and with streaming eyes beseech the good 
Lord to let the rivers of life flow into my soul 
in such measure that they may flow from it 
in every direction, washing and nourishing 
every soul I come in contact with, and I 
always feel as if I had largely partaken from 
the crystal fountain. As I prepare breakfast, 
I pray him to prepare an eternal feast for the 



FROM THE LIVING GKAVE. 171 

whole human family. I set the table, asking 
that the bread of life might be broken to 
every sinner. I sit down to eat, imploring 
the steward of heaven to let us one day sit 
down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I 
call the children, with the petition that the 
Lord might call them also — call them out 
from the world as his chosen ones. I wash 
and dress them, with the desire that the Lord 
may cleanse and prepare them for his own 
glory. I serve them at table, and tell them 
of Him who fed five thousand with a handful 
of bread. I take them to school, with the 
injunction, 'Lord, instruct thou them in thy 
holy word, that they might become wise unto 
salvation.' On committing them to the 
teacher, I say, c Friend of children, take thou 
care of these little ones.' I return, praying 
for every soul I meet. On taking the broom 
to sweep the house, it often comes to my mind 
that my lot in the world is rather a humble 
one, and others are so much more favored 
with this world's goods than I. This, as 
a matter of course, is the suggestion of the 
evil one, and I look aloft and say, 'For Jesus, 



172 ECHOES 

my dear Saviour's sake, I will be content; for 
his sake I will do whatsoever is assigned to 
me ;' and as I am sweeping, I pray that my 
soul might be cleansed from all the dross of 
hell and the world. Thus I pray at every 
step. The afternoon I spend with the chil- 
dren in singing praises to Him who lets us 
live, and in talking of him who calls himself 
the sinner's Friend, and in praying to him 
whom I know to be the Hearer and Answerer 
of prayer. Before I retire, I once more un- 
bosom my soul to him who promised to be a 
Father to the fatherless, and who 'tempers 
the wind to the shorn lamb,' and the result is, 
my soul is overflowing with peace and joy and 
happiness ; and do you wonder that I should 
see angels descending and ascending, and see 
other such glorious visions ? And," continued 
the heroic girl, " this is what I call praying 
without ceasing. St. Paul will tell you so, 
too, when you get to yonder home." 

St. Paul says : " "Whatsoever you do, do all to 
the glory of God." And whatever we do to the 
glory of God, is prayer and praise. If I do 
my fellow-sinner a favor from unselfish and 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 173 

sympathetic motives, it is my desire that liis 
lot may be the better for it. "What else is 
desire but prayer ? "What else is prayer but 
desires expressed ? If we pray for our salva- 
tion, for the salvation of our friends and the 
world at large, or for any thing imaginable, 
we express desires which Jesus puts into our 
hearts. If we go on errands of mercy— feed 
the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick 
and the prisoner with spiritual and temporal 
consolation, we execute desires which the love 
of Jesus Christ produced in our hearts — de- 
sires to show forth the glory of God and to 
extend his kingdom among men — desires to 
comply with his command: "Bear ye one 
another's burden." 

Thus we see that praying without ceasing 
can be practiced by all men, women, and 
children of all classes and conditions of life. 
Those who have ample time at their com- 
mand are commissioned by Jesus Christ to 
execute his desires, besides their daily devo- 
tions, in going about seeking where and how 
to do good, while those who are poor in this 
world's goods, who are destined by an all-wise 



174 ECHOES 

Providence to eat their bread by the sweat of 
their brow, may be the richer in grace, the 
richer in Jesus Christ — as rich in prayer as 
our heroic servant-girl, who prayed without 
ceasing. Prayer is a delightful companion 
to the working-man. It wipes the sweat 
from his brow; it fans him in hot days; it 
warms him in cold weather ; it shelters him 
from the storm ; it makes his countenance 
always pleasant. He is ever young and fresh, 
strong and cheerful. 

Many young converts, we say, are strongly 
beridden with besetting sins, habits, for which 
they would gladly give their right arm or any 
treasure at their command, could they but 
overcome them. This was the case with the 
writer of these pages. He was one of the 
"uttermost" whom Jesus came to save, a 
man fallen to the very bottom of the horrible 
pit. The Lord found him, raised him up and 
placed him on a firm foundation. But before 
he was fully aware of this glorious change, he 
offended his new friend in a most shameful 
manner, still practicing the language and work 
of darkness. He would retire to his closet 



FKOM THE LIVING GEAVE. 175 

with, a heavy heart, craving the forgiveness 
of God under burning tears. Possessing an 
iron will, he considered himself man enough 
to master his bad habits. Many times he re- 
solved to bridle his tongue, abstain from swear- 
ing and all manner of filthiness, but always 
failed. Finally, guided by the unerring spirit, 
he commenced to pray for special grace to over- 
come profanity, and behold ! the black stream 
within him was stayed and he no longer spoke 
the language of hell. Being successful in this 
point, he applied the same remedy to all his 
idols and besetting sins and bad habits, and 
by degrees was cleansed from the legions of 
infernal spirits, who constituted his entire life, 
and manhood. Now he seems to be clothed in 
Christ's righteousness, and in his right mind, 
sitting at Jesus' feet, learning of him how to 
become acceptable to God and a fit compan- 
ion for the redeemed in light. He, like Mary 
Magdalene, had much forgiven, and he too 
loves his Saviour, as she did who washed his 
feet with her tears, (and as a child loves its 
tender mother.) His soul is all on fire for 
the glory of God, but being confined in a 



176 ECHOES 

prison cell, having little or no opportunity to 
promote the kingdom of Iris blessed Master, 
except by prayer, lie thought, if the Lord be 
willing, he would pen some of his better 
thoughts, hoping that they might prove in- 
strumental in bringing at least one precious 
soul nearer to God and heaven. Should this 
be God's will, his prayer would be answered, 
his soul edified, and his sad lot greatly sweet- 
ened. 

Prayer. 

Father! thou who hast never as yet denied 
me any request, wilt thou bring it to pass 
that there may be one or more precious pearls 
in the crown of glory which is laid up for me. 
Pearls, gathered by this net of love, which was 
dictated and spun by thine own Holy Spirit, 
through the instrumentality of a humble and 
penitent soul. I ask it, not for my sake, but 
rather for thy glory and the salvation of my 
brethren through Jesus Christ the Lord, 
Amen. 



FROM THE LIVING GKAVE. 177 

The Convict's Prater. 
BY H. M. 

Giye me a new heart, I pray thee, 

Wash me in thy precious blood, 
Let my sins be driven from me, 

Cleanse me, Jesus, Son of God! 
liaise me from this state of nature, 

From the pit and miry clay ; 
Show me, Lord, a brighter future, 

Let me see a happier day ! 

Give me, Lord, thy precious blessing, 

Pour thy mercy on me now, 
So that I, thy truth confessing, 

To thy will may humbly boy/. 
Give me love to all around me, 

Let not malice fill my heart ; 
Knowing, thou wilt guard and guide me, 

Let me act a Christian's part. 

To my dearest mother,* brethren, 

Jesus, be a loving friend, 
Let them fly to thee for shelter, 

To them peace and comfort send. 

Echoes. 23 



178 ECHOES 

In my daily life attend me, 

Help me, Lord, to keep thy word ; 

From temptation, God, defend me ! 
Let the convict's prayer be heard. 

The Praying Convict. 

Behold, the contrite sinner speaks 

The language known in heaven ! 
He sighs, he wrestles, and he pleads ; 

In tears he sows, in joy he reaps, 
And has his sins forgiven. 

Joy is his, eternally his ! 
Oh, what a glorious change is this, 

To pass from hell to heaven ! 
Rejoice, O holy saints, rejoice, 

Come, fellow sinners, swell the noise, 
And thou, O weary one, be wise, 

Come, and make a better choice. 
Put on the armor, wield the sword, 

Fight for our gracious Lord, 
And conquer death and helL 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 179 



Letters from Convicts 




ETTER FROM 



ji.ji 



_ HE comfort and happiness in 
serving Jesus Christ, which I 
have experienced in this place are 
beyond expression. The pleasure 
which I have derived from him, in sim- 
ply looking to him, cannot be painted, neither 
can the hope imparted to my soul by his spirit 
be penciled. I have submitted myself to his 
yoke and found it easy. His burden is light 
and he has proved a gracious master, and I 
have concluded to serve him for ever. The 
pearl of great price is precious to my soul, and 
I rejoice in God, my Saviour, for evermore. 
I have received his holy grace, which has 
enabled me to do away with all the wicked 
thoughts which once were in my mind and 
the evil habits which I once practiced. I feel 



180 ECHOES 

myself a new creature in Christ Jesus. Old 
things, liaye passed away, and behold, all 
tilings are pleasant and good. 

I have passed through the valley of dark- 
ness and have experienced the bitterness and 
sorrow which sin produces, and desire to be 
a happy man. And glory be to His name, I 
have found my soul's desire in him ; he is my 
light in dark hours, the joy of my soul and 
the rock of my salvation ; in him centres my 
all in all; to him will I cling through life, 
death, and eternity. 

May he guide and protect me in every hour 

of danger, that I may serve him throughout 

eternity. Amen. 

H. H. 

Lettep v from W. W. JVL 

Dear Brother M. : In giving an account of 
my conversion, allow me to commence at my 
great fall. I was arrested June 11th, 1867, 
in the city of Poughkeepsie, for a very hein- 
ous crime and in a very intoxicated state. 
After getting sober I found that my friends 
had deserted me, and I was left alone to be- 



PEOM THE LIVING GKAYE. 181 

wail my misery. I was in jail about a month 
w^hen an aged lady came to tell me of a friend 
that would stand by me as long as I would 
stand by him. I looked into my case, reflect • 
eel, and said to myself : "Will God ever forgive 
me my many sins?" something within me said 
he would. It was then and there that I fell 
on my knees asking God through the merits 
of his Son to forgive me my past sins. Since 
then I have been a God-fearing and God- 
loving man. I am sensible that I am daily 
doing things which I ought not to do and 
leave undone the things which the Lord has 
commanded. By God's grace assisting me I 
am bound to make my way from earth to 
heaven, as well as I have, by his grace and 
assistance, made my way out of the horrible 
pit and miry clay into ways of pleasantness 
and peace. My pathway is growing brighter 
every day. I have no reason to go back, but 
am determined to press forward in my high 
calling and gain heaven. I would not give 
up my hope for ten thousand worlds. Pray for 
me. May God pour his spirit upon this prison. 

W. H. M. 



182 ECHOES 

Letter from R. D. L. 

It was in the year 1866 that I had the mis- 
fortune of striking one of my fellow-beings, 
which caused his death, and I was sent to 
jail. There I was visited by a Christian gen- 
tleman who made me believe that I w r as a 
sinner and needed a Saviour, and that as bad 
as I was, Jesus Christ the Son of God died 
for me, and would save me if I would only 
look to him. After he had gone, his words 
returned to my mind. I reflected and con- 
cluded that he was right. I looked over my 
sinful life, and mountains of sins rose up be- 
fore me — and oh, how bad I felt ! My bur- 
den was severe, and I became very unhappy, 
- and resorted to that good man's Saviour, fell 
before him, and implored his mercy upon the 
chief of sinners. That night and the next 
three days and nights I sought a newness of 
life which can only be found in Jesus Christ, 
and it was granted me. I obtained relief on 
the third night: while praying with all my 
heart and strength I felt a thrill of joy in my 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 183 

soul, and was carried off to regions above the 
world, and dwelt with Jesus. A glorious time 
it was. Angels were in attendance. It was 
heaven to my soul. I love Him with all my 
heart. He is my joy in all my lonely prison 
hours, the staff and stay for my future life. I 
regret that I cannot find sufficient language 
to do him justice. Oh, that all men might 
come to him and partake of his sweet salva- 
tion. He has promised to cast no one out. 
Since I came to him my life has been a con- 
stant stream of happiness, and I glory in his 
precious name. E. D. L. 

Letter from J. H. j3. S. 

Dear Brother M : I have been here 

about twenty-nine months. On my arrival 
here I was one of the most miserable of God's 
creatures. After a few months' stay I made 
up my mind to leave off all my old ways ; but 
alas, I found myself growing worse every day. 
Finally I attended the prayer-meetings, but 
whatever I saw and heard there seemed 
strange to me, until the chaplain told me that 



184 ECHOES 

I could not contribute to my happiness by 
anything that I might do, but must simply 
believe that I was a great sinner and needed 
a Saviour. It was then that I began to un- 
derstand the brethren. I turned my thoughts 
inward, reflected on my past folly, and im- 
plored the mercy of my long-suffering God. 
I soon found that there was no other name 
given under heaven by which men might be 
saved, except the name of Jesus Christ. In 
his name and for his sake I prayed to God 
that he would help me to believe. For six 
months I endeavored to give up my all to 
Jesus, but had no confidence in him. I took 
up my Bible and found that a man must be 
born again. In another place it says, "He 
that believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of 
God shall be saved." And again, "He that 
cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." 
I took him at his word, and glory be to God, 
I can say that I am in Christ and he is in 
me, and there is nothing present nor any 
thing to come that shall separate me from 
the love and hope and peace and happiness 
that I have in Jesus Christ. When I am 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 185 

tempted and ill-used, I look above the per- 
ishable things of the world — look up to my 
Captain, and ask him for reinforcement to 
conquer the enemy. Some times all looks 
dark, but then I look aloft and fix my eyes 
upon the Sun of righteousness, and the dark- 
ness disappears. Although the whole world 
be against me I vail praise the Lord, for he 
is my portion. He is my Shepherd, I shall 
not want. He leads me beside the still wa- 
ters, and I am filled with his love. 

I am not what I would wish to be, but by 
the grace of God, I am what I am. At times 
I feel that the nails which went through the 
Saviour's hand had fastened my sins to the 
cross, and I glory in the same cross wherein 
St. Paul gloried. I know that I have passed 
from death unto life, because I love to keep 
his commandments. Oh, may that grace 
which is sufficient to save to the uttermost, 
fill my heart and constrain my entire being 
to walk upright and holy before my God, and 
may I be ever ready for the second coming 
of Christ. 

I know that God is my God. He has heard 
24 



186 ECHOES 

and answered me in my affliction. He is by 
my side while walking through, the bitter 
waters of tribulation. He is the rock of my 
salvation, the joy of my soul, and he says, 
" Though father and mother may forsake thee, 
I will take thee up. 55 

My old companions, fare you well; 
I cannot go with you to hell; 
I care not what the world may say ; 
No, I will watch, and fight, and pray. 

J. H. b/s. 



Letter fro 



M 



]*./>. 



Before I came to this prison, I was one of 
the most profane swearers and wilful sinners 
in the world. At times I used to think of my 
lost condition, and wished to be a Christian, 
but these f eelings were only transient. Trouble 
came upon my family ; I became devoted to 
the accursed cup, and my wife left me. I 
resolved to take her life and my own, and 
went to work about it very coolly. Satan 
seemed to have a complete mastery over me : 
man proposes, but the Lord disposes. I was 



FEOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 187 

arrested for an assault to kill, and while 
under lock and key had ample time for reflec- 
tion. I was horrified at what I had done, 
thought it impossible for me to contemplate 
such a hellish plan. I looked into myself to 
ascertain the mainspring of my wretchedness, 
and found that I wtls overpowered by the 
enemy of souls. I resolved to become a bet- 
ter man, obtained a Bible, but it did not 
interest me. I tried to pray, but instead of 
finding rest I grew worse and suffered exceed- 
ingly. It w^as my heart's desire to become a 
holy man. What does this mean ? The Bi- 
ble tells us that if we ask God for the Holy 
Spirit through Jesus Christ, we shall receive 
it. I did ask all this time, but did not receive 
it. I was discouraged, and concluded to in- 
vestigate the matter. I found that my whole 
heart was not in it. Darling sins clustered 
about my soul, which proved for a time too 
strong for me. In the meantime I was sent 
to Sing-Sing. 

Much to my enjoyment, I found a flourish- 
ing prayer-meeting, and a library of religious 
books. I frequented both and was much en- 



188 ECHOES 

couraged, and by degrees lost numberless bad 
habits, and finally found myself a changed 
man. I detested and abhorred myself, seeing 
how merciful God dealt with me, and how 
ungrateful I haye been to him, not even to 
thank him for my subsistence, and his bounty. 
I often shed tears when thinking of the suf- 
ferings of my blessed Redeemer, who so often 
invited me by his words : " Come unto me, all 
ye that are weary and heavy-laden, and 1 
will give you rest." Blessed Saviour, I will 
come ! Oh, teach me to be wholly thine ! 

Since coming to Jesus with my whole heart 
I have been praying continually, and feel 
that I am drawing nearer to God, and rejoice 
in my experience as a follower of Christ. At 
times the evil one seems to get the best of 
me; I would waver a little, but with new 
efforts and boldness storm the gates of heav- 
en, and become more than conqueror. I know 
that my sins are forgiven, and am persuaded 
that all things work together for my good, 
and feel that no power can separate me from 
my God. I thank him for this afiliction, it 
has brought me to a knowledge of myself, to 



FROM THE LIVING GEAVE. 189 

a knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, and I 
long to be instrumental in his hands in the 
extension of his kingdom and the salvation 
of sinners. May he make me what I should 
be. H. S. 

Letter from F. T. 

Deae Chaplain: I was sentenced on the 
8th day of March, 1867, to two years' confine- 
ment in this prison. I deserved it, and I 
thank the Lord that it is, as it is. I had been 
leading a very bad life — a great transgressor of 
the laws of God all the days of my life. Short- 
ly after my arrival here I thought of reforma- 
tion. I thought what an awful thing it would 
be to die in prison and without God. I re- 
solved to serve Satan no longer. I obtained 
permission to visit your office, where a noble 
helper, Brother J. M., spoke to me concerning 
my soul's future state, and of a flourishing 
prayer-meeting, and placed my name upon its 
list of members. Little did he think what he 
was doing, but what he did, he did for eterni- 
ty. I set out with firm resolutions, and by 
God's grace I mean to follow Christ as long 



190 ECHOES 

as I am on earth. When I look back and 
see what a change I have experienced, it 
makes me feel proud to know that I am a 
soldier of the cross, and I mean to fight my 
way through whatever opposes. There are 
a great many stumbling blocks put in my 
way, but I look above for strength to pass 
them in safety, and I do n't look in vain. 

Dear chaplain, your meetings are doing 
great good in this prison. Tou were the 
means of bringing me to the foot of the cross. 
My life during my stay here has been very 
pleasant which could not be, had I not ex- 
changed masters. I can never thank you and 
Brother M— sufficiently for your kind at- 
tention to me. It brings tears to my eyes to 
see you struggling every Sunday to fill our 
hearts with the love and peace of God. My 
prayer is: that the Lord may soften every 
hard heart and bring many more to the foot 
of the cross. My spare hours are occupied in 
studying the Scriptures. I am progressing 
very fast, and I have very pleasant seasons in 
my cell, holding communion with my Father 
in heaven. "Would to God that my fellow- 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 191 

men would no longer trouble themselves with, 
the things that perish, but apply their hearts 
unto wisdom, and attend to their duty and 
become as happy as I am. I have a great 
many enemies, but I am to be despised by all 
men for Christ's sake. He laid down his life 
for me, and I am willing to do the same for 
him. I owe him a debt which I can never 
pay. Oh, how glad I am, that he made him- 
self known to me and gave me grace to make 
myself known to him as the chief of sinners. 
He is precious to my soul and I am exceed- 
ingly happy all the day long. 

Pray for me, dear sir, that I may hold out 
unto the end. F. T. 

Letter from F. M. 

Dear Brother M : It is to the glory of 

God that I pen you these lines, for my heart 
is filled with his love. 

I left home in my nineteenth year, to find 
my fortune in the Great Republic. I arrived 
in New York, and found employment, and all 
things went on well. After a while I became 
acquainted with a young lady who took full 



192 ECHOES 

possession of my heart, and I thought I was 
a happy man ; but the evil one had still power 
over me, and induced me to take the life of 
her for whom I would readily have laid down 
my own, which resulted in my imprisonment 
for life. 

The first three years of my confinement 
were spent in great sorrow and distress, and 
I constantly contemplated how I might make 
an end to my bitter lot. Had it not been for 
the religious instructions received in child- 
hood, I would have followed the example of 
Judas — would have killed myself; but the fear 
to meet an angry God restrained me from 
executing my resolutions, and I was spared ; 
and it pleased the Heart-searcher to turn my 
thoughts into a different channel. A dear 

brother and friend, J. M , who is now a 

faithful laborer in the vineyard of the Lord, 
endeavored to soften my hard heart by telling 
me of a precious Saviour he found some years 
ago, and of the hope he possessed and the 
pe^ice he enjoyed ; and said he : " Life is 
exceedingly sweet when animated by Jesus 
Christ." He asked me to attend the weekly 



FROM THE LIVING GEAVE. 193 

prayer -meeting, and to turn my thoughts 
heavenward. I consented, earnestly desiring 
to become a better man. I attended the 
meetings for about a year without deriving 
the least benefit from them, although God 
was present, and was working in the hearts 
of nmny of the brethren; and often I left 
them much discouraged, thinking that my 
day of grace is passed, never more to re- 
turn. 

One evening, while in my cell alone, I felt 
extremely miserable. Never before was I so 
tired of life as just then ; and I looked around 
in my little room for a convenient chance to 
end my sufferings. I did not look in vain; 
but it came in a very unexpected way. As I 
made ready, the Holy Bible came into my 
hands, and the thought, " Suppose this book 
is true!" flashed across my mind. I paused! 
I fell on my knees — prayed and sobbed and 
wept like a child. My heart was broke. It 
was open for the Holy Spirit; and, glory be 
to God, he entered in. I cannot account 
for the change, but when I arose from my 
knees I thought I was the happiest of God's 

Echoes. 0£J 



194 ECHOES 

creatures. I wept for joy, for my burden 
was gone. My sins were washed away in the 
blood of the Lamb. Ever since, I went about 
my duties with a light heart, rejoicing in Je- 
sus, and glorifying God my Saviour. Now I 
understand the language spoken in the praj^- 

er-meeting, and with Brother M I can 

say that life is sweet and precious when ani- 
mated by Jesus Christ. f. M. 

Letter from J. V. L. 

I was born April 7, 1839. My parents 
taught me to fear the Lord in my childhood. 
Prayers became a daily repetition, and all 
things w ent on well as long as I observed this 
duty and obeyed my parents. But, breaking 
loose from parental restraint, I also broke 
loose from God ; and he let me slide into bad 
company, and my spare hours and late hours 
and golden hours were spent at the drinking, 
gambling, and sporting saloons. I enjoyed 
pleasure after pleasure, and things appeared 
good and lovely all around me, until I finally 
found myself lodged in jail. Here a Chris- 
tian lady visited me from week to week, and 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 195 

presented me with, a Bible. Her visits and 
gift, however, made no impression on me. 
After fourteen months' stay I was tried, and 
sent to this place for the term of ten years 
and five months. 

After about two years I came in contact 
with a religious convict, who was successful 
in arousing my slumbering disposition, and I 
began to think of the welfare of my immortal 
soul. Doubtless I would have slept longer, 
and perhaps for ever, had he labored less for 
the salvation of my soul. He induced me to 
attend the meetings for prayer. I was some- 
what benefited by them, but could as yet not 
wholly understand the brethren. They spoke 
of the Spirit, the new birth, how happy they 
felt in Jesus, and what joy they experienced 
in their cells with God and Jesus, holding 
communion with the holy Trinity. Such lan- 
guage was strange to me, but I longed to 
speak likewise. Retiring to my room at 
nights, I prayed with great earnestness to 
God to give me a new heart and pardon my 
sins. I read the good lady's Bible, which I 
had retained, and committed myself into the 



196 ECHOES 

hands of tlie Father of mercy. I relied on 
his word and promise, with the determination 
never to let him go. After I gave up all to 
him, and confessed my weakness and unwor- 
thiness, promised to forsake my sins, and by 
his grace to amend. He smiled on me, and 
gave me a portion of his everlasting Spirit to 
help me in my new life. But previous to this 
glorious visitation, the Lord let me feel the 
horrors of sin most explicitly, and I was very 
wretched ; but the sweeter afterwards was 
my union with my blessed Saviour. It was 
on the third day of September, 1867, that the 
cloud of darkness was for ever lifted from my 
burdened soul, and words of peace and salva- 
tion filled my mind. Joy and happiness are 
my portion. I love the Saviour and his cho- 
sen ones, and all which is good and everlast- 
ing. Oh, that all men everywhere, might 
come to this glorious Saviour, and enjoy the 
blessings which remain for the people of God, 
is the humble prayer of 

Yours in Christ Jesus, j. v. L. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 197 

Letter from J. F. 

Dear Brother in the Lord : I am the off- 
spring of poor parents, and consequently min- 
gled in low and mean society, which finally 
landed me on Sing-Sing's sorrowful shores, to 
weep over my misfortune for ten bitter years. 
When I arrived here I was less concerned 
about my soul than a brute. Although my 
parents taught me to say prayer while a child, 
yet a great number of years passed over my 
head without a thought for God, heaven, or 
immortality. 

I was kindly approached one day while at 
work by a colored brother in affliction, who 
spoke to me sweet words of cheer, and finally 
asked me to come to Jesus. I told him I was 
no worse than others, and had no concern for 
religion ; but he repeated his visits, and made 
some impression on my mind. I enlisted for 
the prayer-meeting, and felt that a change of 
heart would be acceptable in my deplorable 
condition. The different experiences, as re- 
lated by the brethren in the meetings, enlight- 
ened my understanding, and I too experi- 



198 ECHOES 

enced that I was a great sinner. The breth- 
ren were honest in their expressions ; they 
confessed their faults in clear colors, and 
thanked the Lord that they were not in a 
worse place than a prison made by hand. 
Their language came home to my heart, and 
I too desired to be a Christian. I humbled 
myself before my God, prayed, sought, and 
fought until I conquered. The battles against 
the enemy were many and fierce ; but the 
Lord Jesus was at my side. Often I left the 
prayer-meeting deeply grieved that I could 
not testify of the goodness of God, as I had 
not formed his acquaintance yet. One day 
my colored friend told me that Jesus was my 
Friend, and if I would become His friend, I 
would find peace of mind. Had he been a 
stranger to me, I would have thought nothing 
of his words ; but as I knew him to be an hon- 
est, upright man, I was compelled to believe 
him. I went to Jesus with my sins and all. 
I lay before him one night for hours, asking, 
pleading, begging, praying for pardon for in- 
numerable offences committed against him 
and my fellow-men. I was really sorry for 



FKOM THE LIVING GEA.VE. 190 

what I liad done through all ray life — for I 
had done nothing but wrong. I cannot ac- 
count for the result. It came to pass I know 
not how, but from that hour I was a changed 
man. I love the Holy Bible, love to pray, 
love the sanctuary, would like to go there ev- 
ery day, love God's people, and appreciate 
their society. 

The Lord has graciously opened my eyes, 
and I see myself the greatest sinner under 
heaven, and am astonished to know that God 
should condescend to save so unworthy a 
worm, who offended him every day of his 
existence. 

It was on the 17th of January, 1867, that I 
found him, and I will give him up when he 
ceases to exist. 

Tour praying Brother, J. F 

Letter from p. M. 

In the spring of 1867, I was arrested and 
sent for two and a half years, for grand lar- 
ceny, to this prison. It was the first time 
that I ever was put under lock and key. See- 
ing my character ruined and my family dis- 



200 ECHOES 

graced, I became extremely miserable, espe- 
cially when I considered that I have praying 
parents who from my infancy and even now are 
continually bearing me to the throne of grace. 
I confess it was a hard struggle when I first 
broke loose from them ; but an evil heart sur- 
vived over parental affection, and I found 
myself on the broad road to ruin. When 
confined, it pleased the Lord to send me dear 
Mends with consolation suitable to my case. 
Among others was a young lady who had 
some influence over me, and who besought 
me with tears to give my heart to God. My 
heart was very repulsive, but I could not 
withstand burning tears from so noble a soul. 
I was grieved, asked her forgiveness, which 
was readily granted, and I promised to amend. 
For awhile I laughed at her proposal, but the 
still small voice whispered : " Suppose Chris- 
tianity is a reality after all, and the Bible be 
true, what will be my fate ? Is it not better 
to live in a manner which will insure timely 
and eternal happiness, than prepare myself 
for hell?" 

These questions, and thousands of others 



FKOM THE LIVING GEAYE. 201 

like them, presented themselves to my mind, 
and would doubtless have been answered in 
the neglect of duty, had it not been for a 
mother's prayers, for the lessons of child- 
hood, and the earnest entreaty of my lady 
friend. After arriving here, I resolved to 
attend to these things. I went to the library 
for reading matter, and found "Nelson's 
Cause and Cure of Infidelity." I hesitated 
about taking it, but something within whis- 
pered: " You must take it." On perusing its 
pages, I became deeply interested in it, and 
I finally was convinced of the reality and 
purity of Christianity, and desired to know 
and feel its power. I prayed and longed for 
a change of heart. My eyes were opened 
gradually. I sav/ the sinfulness of my nature, 
and felt the terrors of a broken law. The 
sword of vengeance was upon me ; an ago- 
nizing Saviour, whose hands I had pierced, 
was beside me, while hell opened itself be- 
neath me. My condition was most fearful, 
without the least hope. At last I arrived at 
the place where he — Nelson — gave his con- 
version. Here a ray of hope entered into my 

26 



202 ECHOES 

soul. Seeing how graciously the Lord dealt 
with him, I too took courage. Presently I 
came to his remedy, and resolved to apply it. 
I knelt and poured forth my soul in prayer ; 
trembling, I called upon the name of Jesus. 
"What pangs of soul did I not then experi- 
ence ! Despair overwhelmed my sinking 
heart, and my hope for the eternal shore was 
very faint, yet I continued to cry aloud unto 
the Lord for mercy, when "suddenly these 
words flashed across my mind : " Whosoever 
cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." 
I fixed my eyes upon Him. I saw him wres- 
tling with the king of darkness ; beheld the 
great drops of blood running down his burn- 
ing face ; heard his last words : " It is fin- 
ished." I tarried with him, and he had com- 
passion on me, and behold, a miracle is 
wrought! My burden was gone, the evil 
spirit was gone, my soul was at rest, and I 
was overcome for joy. I was a new creature. 
I could not believe it. It looked too good, 
too grand and sweet. . It looked too much 
like a dream ; but it proved a change of heart, 
a new nature, a new and rejoicing man in 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 203 

Christ Jesus. Oh, how sweet is his name to 
me, and all his precious sayings. Is there 
music on earth or in heaven equal to his 
voice? What have I clone to deserve this? 
Indeed, language is too feeble an instrument 
to convey an idea of the perfect transport of 
bliss which was mine at that moment when I 
resolved to serve Christ the rest of my life, 
and thus far I have had no cause to regret 
my resolution. 

At first it appeared hard to confess Christ 
before the world. I shall never forget how 
my cheeks burned with shame when I first 
rose in the prayer-meeting, to tell the breth- 
ren how mercifully and gloriously the Lord 
had dealt with me ; but by his grace I over- 
came every obstacle, even the foul habit of 
using his holy name in vain. Jesus, ever dear 
and ever near with his love and grace, has 
proved a sufficient remedy for every detesta- 
ble idol of my soul. In him I live, and know 
that no power on earth or in hell can part us, 
and I have experienced that the Christian's 
life is a life of great joy. Glory be to him for 
evermore ! G. M. 



204 ECHOES 

Letter from. H. JVL 

My deae Feiend and Beothee in Jesus 
Cheist : In sitting down, according to my 
promise, to give yon a statement of my con- 
version, I think it well to commence with my 
coming to this place, and give you the details 
of my experience — my hopes and fears, ups 
and downs, trials and temptations, and my 
heart's true history. 

I am glad that you asked me to write this 
for you and to the glory of God, for I have 
longed for a great while to unbosom myself 
to some one who, I feel, has an interest in my 
spiritual welfare, and I am confident that you 
have. 

In the first place, when I was arrested, my 
heart was stored with all sorts of wickedness, 
having mixed with the abandoned of both 
sexes for a number of years. It is not to be 
expected that I would come off undefiled; but 
at the same time I never laid myself liable to 
the force of human laws until the year 1863, 
when I deserted my regiment, was captured, 
pardoned, reinstated, and deserted again at 



FROM THE LIVING GEAVE. 205 

Cold Harbor, in 1864. From that clay I fell 
deeper and deeper in sin, commenced jump- 
ing bounties, spending the money in dissipa- 
tion, for which a merciful God may forgive me, 
through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. 

In 1865 I received the last bounty, enlist- 
ing in the Thirty-fourth New Jersey infantry 
at Trenton, N. J., and was sent to my regi- 
ment, but never reached it. I went from 
Trenton to Cairo, HI., and there joined the 
Sixteenth army corps, General Smith's fleet. 
We left there and went to Memphis, Tenn. 
I ran the guards and went ashore, got drunk, 
as usual, and nearly beaten to death, was put 
under medical treatment, and came very near 
dying in the hospital at Vicksburg. A mer- 
ciful God spared my life in spite of all my 
transgressions and ungratefulness to him and 
my fellow-men. 

After a partial recovery I was appointed 
ward-master in the same hospital, but the 
fire-water soon got the better of me again, 
was found intoxicated, and sent to New Or- 
leans. Here I deserted, but was picked up 
by a provost-guard, sent to Alabama Cotton- 



206 ECHOES 

press, and from there under guard to Fort 
Gamis, Ala. I remained there until I re- 
ceived an honorable discharge. 

I started for home, was robbed on the boat, 
and finally reached New York, July 12, 1865. 
My stay here corresponded with my former 
life, until my money and so-called friends 
were gone. 

For some time after my arrival here I felt 
as if I were losing my senses. I was in a per- 
fect swoon, not comprehending my condition, 
yet I had no feelings nor thoughts that I 
ought to forsake my sinful habits and repent. 
I hated myself and my surrounding sufferers. 
About this time I w r as put into a contract- 
shop. Here I met with Brothers E and 

F , who saw and understood my case, and 

very frequently spoke to me on and about the 
welfare of my immortal soul. I could not 
understand them, but they induced me to 
attend their weekly prayer-meeting and to 
abstain from swearing, for at that time I was 
a fearfully profane man. Before I attended 
the meetings, I had occasion to converse with 
another member, who told me that he w T ent 



FROM THE LIVING GRAYE. 207 

there to liave a little fun and to get away 
from liis shop and keeper and meet some of 
his old friends, and I considered the whole 
affair as downright hypocrisy. All this time 
I felt the pressure of sin on my soul, but was 
too proud to let any one know it. 

One day, going to the chaplain's office, I 
picked up a tract, entitled, "Cornwall Miner." 
I had been in a habit of taking tracts before, 
but never read them, believing them to be a 
lot of lies, or at best the fancies of some en- 
thusiast. However, this one I read and cast 
it aside, but could not get its contents out of 
my heart. It was the history of a profane 
man, who, by hearing the fourteenth chapter 
of St. John read to him, became impressed 
and convinced of his depravity, humbled him- 
self before God, and through his Spirit be- 
came wise unto salvation. He resorted to his 
school-books, learned to read, in order that 
he might fathom the truths of God's holy 
word himself. He became deeply rooted in 
Jesus Christ, and bore much fruit to the glory 
of God. 

I felt rebuked, seeing the advantage I had 



208 ECHOES 

oyer this poor unlettered man. There was 
no excuse for me. I learned the chapter by 
heart and tried to pray, but instead of getting 
easier in my mind, I felt the pangs of sin more 
and more, with no hope for this world or that 
which is to come. I went to the chaplain, 
told him my misery, and received good ad- 
yice, but it did not reach my case. I went 
again, with the same result. In the mean 
time I had joined the prayer-meeting, and 
felt it good to be there, and intended to 
reveal my case to the brethren and ask their 
intercession, but a cowardly shame came over 
me and held me back. Meeting after meet- 
ing passed by, and still I remained mute, con- 
trary to the dictation of my conscience, and 
sorrow and despair were my daily experience. 
Night after night I fell upon my knees and 
poured out my soul in prayer to God, ac- 
knowledging my sinfulness, and asking par- 
don for Christ's sake, promising the almighty 
God that if he would spare my life until the 
following week, I would make a confession 
before my fellow-men, and trusting to his 
grace, I would forsake my sins and lead a 



FROM THE LIVING GEAYE. 209 

new life. While I was pleading at the throne 
of grace, the answer came. Oh, brother, I 
could have shouted for joy. I felt that peace 
within me which the world cannot giye nor 
take away. I could not realize it at first that 
I, the chief of sinners, could receive mercy, 
much less feel an assurance of pardon. What 
was I, that the Almighty should hear me and 
take compassion on me ? I thought jt impos- 
sible to be thus greatly favored, until I com- 
menced to reflect on the goodness and prom- 
ises of God, and concluded that it was really 
the work of God's Holy Spirit. I never had 
such feelings before. My peace at times 
flowed like a river. 

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be all the 
praise for ever. 

On looking into my prayer-book this morn- 
ing, I find this entry: "Thursday, April 4, 
1867. I resolved to become a Christian, 
God helping and strengthening me in my 
resolution." This I have never regretted. 
Weak and sinful as I am, I w r ould not give 
up my hope for all this world contains. I 
I am aware that I have grieved the Holy 

Echoes. * 27" 



210 ECHOES 

Spirit almost numberless times since he first 
spoke peace to my soul ; but I have given 
myself up, body and soul, to Jesus Christ, 
to do with me what he sees fit. 

I made an awful prayer the other night — 
that He might afflict me in body or soul, tlrat 
I might be brought to love him more than I 
do now. I feel so hard-hearted at times, and 
know that the devil has power over me still, 
but I am assured that Jesus can save to the 
uttermost ; were it not for this assurance, my 
sins would drive me to despair. I am not as 
grateful to my God as an honest man ought 
to be, to his preserver and benefactor. O 
Lord, be merciful to me a sinner, and give 
me a new heart, and renew a right mind 
within me ! 

As I look back over the ground I have just 
traveled through, I am constrained to say 
that, next to God, I owe my conversion to 
the efforts of Christian men and women. 

One lady especially — Mrs. K , of New 

York — deserves my most heartfelt thanks for 
the ceaseless interest manifested in my be- 
half. From the beginning of my imprison- 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 211 

ment until the present day she followed me 
with a mother's love and sympathy, which 
made my hard lot quite tolerable. May the 
mighty God bless her and hers abundantly, 
and all other friends and Christians who take 
an interest in the welfare and salvation of 
fallen men and women, is the sincere desire of 
Your most affectionate brother in Jesus, 

H. M. 

Letter from J. E. S. 

In writing this sketch of my experience, I 
have but two objects in view, namely, to show 
how God manifested himself towards the pen- 
itent sinner, and that his redeeming love is 
sufficient to save to the uttermost. 

My father and mother were followers of our 
Lord, and both stand to-day as living monu- 
ments of his grace. Their hearts' desire w^as 
to bring up their offspring in the fear of the 
Lord, and instructed me unceasingly in the 
word of God, and sent me to a religious insti- 
tution where I became familiar with the doc- 
trines of the Bible. But this was knowledge 
without faith ; and as I grew older, I became 



212 ECHOES 

more and more careless and indifferent about 
spiritual things. I laid the Bible aside, and 
began to live for this world only. The re- 
straints of a parental policy became intolera- 
ble, and I concluded to seek my fortune in 
America. Here I enjoyed religious liberty, 
and was free from fanatic intrusion. Yet I 
remained discontented. My parents' shadows 
were always before me, and their parting words 
sounded for ever in my ears ; besides, a silent 
voice within spake louder and louder, and 
thundered fearfully against my hard heart 
To rid my mind of this increasing uneasiness, 
I mingled in gay society, and associated with 
the workers of iniquity. But this would not 
satisfy the wants of my soul. Finally, I re- 
solved to lead a better life, and do some good 
by enlisting under my adopted country's ban- 
ner. As I became acquainted with my fel- 
low-soldiers, and found that they consisted 
of the same element which I abhorred, I also 
found my resolutions insufficient, and I had 
to yield to the spirit of the camp — profanity 
and all manner of evil. It was a rarity to 
hear the gospel preached, or even a spiritual 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 213 

prayer offered, except, perhaps, by a dying sol- 
dier. God's laws, however, remained unpro- 
claimed ; yet they were plainly pointed out to 
us on the battle-field, hospital, and prisons, 
and God's hand of mercy wooed many sin- 
stricken^souls to that field of glory where sor- 
row is not known. Seeing the great danger 
in battles, I again resolved to do some good, so 
that if it should be my lot to fall, I would have 
something wherewith to enter heaven; be- 
sides, the sufferings of my comrades induced 
me, at the peril of my life, to do many deeds 
of mercy for them. This, however, was done 
from purely selfish motives, for my main object 
w^as promotion. 

Thus I spent three years in great excite- 
ment and danger, and became established in 
every sinful habit and vice practiced by mor- 
tals ; but in spite of all my transgressions and 
ungratefulness, the merciful God was pleased 
to spare me, and I returned sound and safe 
to New York, with a firm determination to 
become a better man. I secured a good home, 
and all things were pleasant for a while ; but 
the enemv within would not let me rest — tore 



214 ECHOES 

me from my friends, and plunged me deeper 
and deeper in the abyss of sin, until there 
was nothing good left within me. In the 
mean time, God was continually calling me to 
repentance ; but I was deaf, and dumb, and 
blind, and rejected the only Saviour. I would 
not listen to the preaching of his blessed gos- 
pel until I was by law compelled to do so. 
Not until I found myself encased by gray 
walls and iron bars, and the Holy Spirit had 
totally broken my rocky heart, and laid me 
in a most helpless condition, would I make 
use of the common sense which God gave me. 
On the first Sunday of my imprisonment I 
heard the first sermon preached in six years. 
Its text was taken from the fifty-first Psalm, 
first verse: "Have mercy upon me, O God, 
according to thy loving kindness: according 
unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot 
out my transgressions." These words, which 
I had so often heard from my parents, were 
the means of arousing my slumbering soul, 
and they brought me to the foot of the cross 
to seek pardon and forgiveness, peace and 
rest, from our blessed Redeemer, which I so 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 215 

abundantly obtained. I shall never forget 
the power of these overwhelming words, that 
brought conviction on my heart. I felt so 
very forlorn, and it seemed as if God and 
man had forsaken me, and left me to the 
mercy of Satan. I could not pray, for I felt 
myself too great a sinner to approach a holy 
God. I felt very miserable — could not rest, 
and had no peace. I tried every thing ex- 
cept coming to Jesus. I spent a whole week 
in great agony, looking with hope for the re- 
turn of Sunday, when by the next sermon I 
expected to be instructed and enlightened; 
but to my grief found the speaker at too great 
a distance to be -thoroughly heard and under- 
stood. The following day I received a New 
Testament from the chaplain, which I atten- 
tively read, and ere long I found myself to be 
a changed man. It was on the third of Feb- 
ruary, 1868, that I found peace in believing 
in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as my 
only Saviour. The blessed book became a 
treasure to my soul; every page contained 
something new, and in almost every letter I 
Bee the image of Jesus Christ, who is now the 



216 ECHOES 

idol of my soul. In the mean time I heard 
of a weekly prayer-meeting, and obtained per- 
mission to attend it. I took part in trie exer- 
cises, which did me much good, and have ex- 
perienced that faithful prayer is the key of 
heaven. And now whatever may cross my 
path, be it good or evil, pleasure or affliction, 
joy or sorrow, I never shall forget the Giver 
of the glorious salvation with which he has 
blessed me in the darkest hour of my life, and 
who has given me grace to look to him for 
grace to resist whenever the tempter is nigh. 
Should my foot slip, I will remember that 
" we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus 
Christ the righteous." The love of God has 
filled my heart with brotherly love and yearn- 
ing for the salvation of my fellow-men, which, 
according to our Saviour, is the second great 
commandment. Prayer, meditation, self-ex- 
amination, and. self-denial have become my 
great delight. The Saviour and his cause are 
uppermost in my heart. His sayings and 
promises are food to me. They satisfy my 
hunger and thirst after the truth and right- 
eousness. To say the least, I feel myself a 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 217 

new man. My heart is changed, my soul re- 
joices, and my spirit magnifies the Lord my 
God. By his grace I am what I am, a con- 
verted sinner, who seeks the glorification of 
God's holy name and the salvation of fallen 
man. 

Yours in Christ Jesus, j. e. S. 

Letter from C. j3. 

Soon after I came to this prison 1 was led 
by the blessing of God to be more and more 
concerned about the welfare of my soul, and 
finally I came to the conclusion that I would 
strive to serve God through any and every 
circumstance that may surround my future 
life, and with the little influence that I possess 
try to impart to those around me that peace 
which I have found in God. I have attended 
the prayer-meeting for about three months, 
and it has proved a blessing to me. I am 
confident that what this religion has done for 
me, it can do for thousands of others. There 
is nothing to be compared to an earnest, 
heart-felt prayer ; and if the authorities would 
only lend a helping hand, this prison would 

23 



218 ECHOES 

soon be empty, and thousands who are now 
on the way to destruction would soon be ca- 
pable of using tlieir influence in the extension 
of the kingdom of God. c. E. 

j-ETTER FROM L. R. 

Since I have been confined in this prison, 
but especially since I attended the prayer- 
meeting, I have been led to examine my 
past career, and find it not acceptable to God. 
I am using my utmost endeavors to obtain 
that forgiveness with God which will insure 
my eternal life in heaven. 

Notwithstanding having in my youth re- 
ceived a Jewish education, I am led to believe 
that true happiness may be derived in believ- 
ing in the teaching of the gospel. I will hope 
and pray to God that he may lead me to do 
that which is right. L. R. 

Letter from J. T. 

I am not ashamed of the testimony of my 
Lord, nor of his servants. I will give you a 
little of my experience which I acquired in 
this place. When I was brought to this 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 210 

prison, I little thought I would have that 
peace of mind which I have to-day. The 
first six months that I was here, I was a hy- 
ing hell to myself. Young and foolish, I loved 
darkness rather than light, or, rather, I was 
kept in the dark. I was not as much enlight- 
ened as some of my companions here. A 
member of the prayer-meeting persuaded me 
to read the Scriptures. I did so, and before 
I was half through with them I arrived at the 
conclusion that God is good, but man is vani- 
ty. The reason I did not appreciate the Scrip- 
tures before now, is because I was in dark- 
ness, and loved it better than light. Now I 
am getting light through the gospel. I know 
that my Kedeemer liveth. He bled, died, and 
arose from the dead, and still lives for me. 
Surely I do believe the truth of his word ; it 
is my hope, my life, and my all. I began a 
new life, and live with a Saviour in the 
world. J. T. 

Letter from H. H, N. 

Previous to my imprisonment I led a very 
wicked and sinful life. I was near the brink 



220 ECHOES 

of ruin, and could almost hear the wails and 
groans of the lost in hell. I trust, however, 
by the mercy of a sin-forgiving God, that I 
have been saved from an awful catastrophe 
of an eternal death. I am resolved, by the 
grace of God, to lead a better life. Like the 
prodigal, I strayed away from home ; but the 
pious example of a godly mother, and the 
religious training of my youth, returned to my 
mind, and I turned my face homeward. This 
captivity has been the means of my awaken- 
ing. My trust is in the grace of God for my 
final salvation. 

I earnestly invoke an interest in the pray- 
ers of God's people for my present, future, 
and eternal welfare. 

H. H. N. 



Letter from T. H. F. 

Dear Chaplain : I desire to add my testi- 
mony to that of others for the many blessings 
which I have received at our weekly prayer- 
meeting, and which has been instrumental, to 
a great extent, in bringing me back to God. 



FROM THE LIVING GKAVE. 221 

For the past years I have been a stranger to 
Jesus, but I feel that God, through his love 
and mercy, has received the penitent prodigal 
with outstretched arms. When I first came 
to this place, I was so very glad when you 
asked me if I wished to attend prayer-meet- 
ing. Instantly the scenes of my early youth 
came upon my mind. The old meeting-house 
and the spot where God converted my soul 
years ago was before me. My mind was 
made up at once to return. Again I sought 
the Saviour, and brought my heavily -bur- 
dened soul to Jesus. On the night after the 
above-mentioned interview, I humbled myself 
on my knees before God, and prayed fer- 
vently for pardon, something that I had not 
done for five or six years. Oh, how I thank 
God for that hour ! How I bless God for the 
' prayer-meeting, where we can have our spir- 
itual strength renewed. I thank God for all 
his blessings. May I ever be found watchful 
and prayerful, is the earnest desire of 

Yours, in Christ, 

J. H. F. 



222 ECHOES 

Letter from J. ff. V. 

God lias oftentimes overwhelmed me with 
dismay and confusion. He let fly the arrow 
that pierced my heart. He has afflicted me 
in body and soul, and yet I can truly say that 
all these experiences have been the means at 
least of teaching me how to say, " Our Father, 
who art in heaven." I bless God that so 
many opportunities are offered even here for 
souls to come up through their trials, and 
resort to the bleeding side of Jesus, and have 
all their sins washed away, and their afflic- 
tions sanctified to their soul's good. 

I have been much interested and blessed 
by the public exercises every Sabbath in the 
chapel, and especially so, as from week to 
week we have met for conference and prayer. 
There it has been my privilege to meet my 
Saviour. There the kingdom of my God and 
Saviour has been opened. There I have 
learned how sweet it is to pray and praise 
him. There the realms of hope have dawned 
upon me. There the Sun of righteousness 
has arisen with healing on his wings. I thank 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 223 

God for the beginning, for the progress, for 
that true manhood, and spiritual self, which 
I have been made to realize during my stay 
here. I mean to continue to press forward 
in this good way to the end, that I may 
finally rejoice with joy unspeakable and full 
of glory. 

These being a few of the numberless bene- 
fits and blessings which God in his infinite 
goodness and mercy permitted me to enjoy, 
I thank him for the victory, that this poor, 
weak, struggling soul gained over sin through 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. To his name 
be all the glory for ever and ever. 

J. H. V. 

Letter from W. L. 

Having been a soldier in the British army 
for many years, and traveling the world over 
in pursuit of happiness, I have at last found 
Him, who is called the sinner's Friend. I 
have experienced the vanities of the world, 
and sought happiness where it cannot be 
found. I have often been denounced as irre- 
coverably lost; but glory be to the blessed 



224 ECHOES 

Jesus, lie has visited my soul at last with his 
constraining and irresistible love, and by his 
grace I mean to hold fast to him with all the 
strength he gives me. I know from dear ex- 
perience that he is the Way, the Truth, and 
the Life, and I am persuaded that no power 
visible or invisible can separate me from him. 
He is my only hope for salvation, and my all 
in all. W. L. 

Letter from JVL fi. S. 

I AM grateful for the privilege of penning a 
few lines to the glory of God in giving my 
experience. 

I am happy to say that I am a changed 
man. I do not regret my misfortune, for it 
proved a great blessing to me. He has taught 
me that Jesus Christ is my best friend. He 
has enabled me to bear my burden with ease 
and pleasure. 

Before I was arrested, the theatre, billiard- 
saloon, gay men and women, occupied the 
greater part of my time. I deceived my pa- 
rents and friends by pretending to be at my 
daily occupation, when in fact I was at the 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 225 

haunts of sin and dissipation, but would take 
care to be at the regular family services morn- 
ings and evenings. My soul was thirsting 
after pleasure and happiness, but I remained 
unsatisfied. On the Sabbaths I would fre- 
quent St. Peter's Episcopal church, in com- 
pany of some young ladies, and thus I cov- 
ered all suspicions of sinful habits. Often I 
laid myself down to sleep, fearing to awake 
in eternity, and to find myself in the gulf of 
despair. 

The first thing that brought me to a right 

mind was the singing of Miss E. E the 

beautiful song, entitled, "Angels, take me." 
This went to my heart, and I, too, desired to 
be taken by good angels. I wept and prayed, 
and resolved to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 
My only comfort is the Bible and its precious 
Author. This book contains all that my ^oul 
desires. It is a whole library to me. ' With 
it, and the prayer-meeting, and the grace of 
God, I think I will succeed in running the 
race sgt before me. I love the sanctuary, I 
love God's people, and our blessed Saviour 
Jesus Christ. M. H. S. 

Echoes. 29 



226 ECHOES 



Letter from 



It gives me pleasure to make a few state- 
ments in regard to my religions experience in 
this prison. 

I cannot say that I ever could be called a 
very wicked man. I used to believe that if 
we did what 's right and were honest, we were 
sufficiently religious ; but for some years I felt 
the need of something more, and on entering 
this prison I made up my mind to seek the 
Saviour, if he would receive me at this late 
hour — aged 58. I commenced on the very 
first night of my arrival, and continued to 
pray morning and night ever since. For 
some months my prayers were unheard 
They were selfish. I prayed for long life and 
temporal blessings, and left the glory of God 
out of view. At one time when I was thus 
praying, it seemed as if some one said to 
me : " That is God's business." My eyes were 
partly opened ; I saw my folly ; and read- 
ing an article on faith in a paper, I felt that 
the one thing needful was "faith" in Jesus 
Christ, which was heretofore unknown to me. 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 227 

I applied my whole heart to Jesus, and oh, 
what a change I felt immediately ! "What a 
happy night I experienced ! I could hardly 
keep from shouting, and I felt as if I could 
embrace every one that ever named the name 
of Jesus. It was beyond my comprehension 
that an old sinner like me could be saved. I 
have had many delightful seasons since that 
time, and my soul is exceedingly glad in the 
Lord. Dark hours will return, but I over- 
come them by looking unto Jesus. By his 
grace I have found myself to be more than 

conqueror. 

W. B. 

Letter from C. N. 

In 1864 I left home, at the age of 19, to 
seek my fortune in New York city. Here I 
took part in all fashionable vices of the day. 
When the contents of my purse were con- 
sumed, I joined the army, but soon took sick, 
and was sent to the hospital, where I began 
to reflect on my past conduct, and determined 
to lead a different life; but trusting in my 
own strength, I failed. After regaining my 



228 ECHOES 

health partially, I obtained my discharge. I 
returned to New York and to my former hab- 
its, notwithstanding the continual striving of 
the Holy Spirit, and the good resolutions 
formed in my own strength. I was often- 
times ' surprised by acting contrary to my 
own will and desire, yet I could not possibly 
overcome long-acquired habits. " Can the 
Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his 
spots?" then might I do good, who was ac- 
customed to do evil. 

In May, 1868, 1 committed a crime for which 
I was sent to this place. On my arrival, be- 
ing quite sick, I was taken to the hospital, 
and was told that my days were numbered, and 
I could not survive three months. After a few 

days the chaplain, Bev. J. B. S ,- made 

his rounds and spoke so kindly to me that I 
could not restrain tears. My thoughts went 
back to my youthful days. My conscience 
began to lash me, and I felt miserable. "He 
will freely forgive you," said the good chap- 
lain. "Take him at his word. Hear what he 
said : ' Whosoever will come to me, I will in 
no Vise cast out.' Accept his offer, and he 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 229 

vriil accept you." I had heard these words 
very often before, but for thq first time tliey 
readied my heart and I longed for peace. I 
determined with God's help to seek earnestly 
after it, and I daily read his long neglected 
word, greatly feeling my unw T orthiness, de- 
pravity and weakness. For three months I 
struggled unsuccessfully against my evil na- 
ture, never firmly surrendering my case to Him 
whom I endeavored to worship, until in the 
prayer-meeting, when I heard others praising 
God, my soul w T as drawn out after the blessed 
Saviour. Oh, how my heart yearned to ex- 
perience their feelings. I always looked for- 
ward to these meetings with great joy and 
anticipation. It was not until after attending 
them for some time that I found peace in 
believing. On the night of the 17th of May, 
1867, wdien, as usual, in the solitude of my 
cell, I fell upon my knees and prayed earnest- 
ly to God, for the sake of his clear Son, not to 
cast me off. I felt oppressed in spirit and 
was on the verge of despair. I began to fear 
that there w r as no mercy for me; when lo! 
how can I describe it. I felt as I never felt 



230 „ ECHOES 

before. All the gracious promises of God 
seemed to be mine. They rushed to my 
memory and I found them to be yea and 
amen to them that believe, I now for the first 
time felt the indescribable love of Jesus Christ, 
and the assurance, that I was his and he was 
mine. 

Oh, the bliss and joy of a soul in its earli- 
est love ! I could say with the poet : 

"No tongue can express the sweet joy and peace," etc. 

I feel that words are inadequate to express 
my peace, joy, and happiness, when first I saw 
the dear Saviour. He took my load from 
me; he cast off my filthy rags and clothed 
me in his own righteousness and enabled me 
to call God: "My heavenly Father." He 
raised me out of a horrible pit, put a new 
song into my mouth, a song of heaven, which 
induces my rejoicing soul in spite of the 
great bodily pain which I suffer, to praise, 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

C. N. 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 231 

Letter from C. JVL 

It is the grace of God which induces me to 
testify of his goodness by penning a part of 
my experience. 

In my early youth I was led to love God, 
but being cast upon the ocean of the world I 
floated with its tide of pleasure and vanity, 
until it landed me in the secure harbor at 
Sing-Sing. 

In 1856, God in his infinite mercy changed 
my heart and permitted me to experience the 
sweet peace of Jesus. I became a member of 
a church in New York, and walked humbly 
before God for several years. I considered 
myself strong and found fault with the weak- 
ness of my brethren. By degrees I fell loicer 
and loicer, until I found a refuge in the lowest 
state of existence: a prison. Here my eyes 
were reopened and glory be to God for receiv- 
ing the wanderer into his household again. 
I returned to my Bible a,nd to my Saviour 
and with penitential tears I sought his for- 
giveness. The more I studied his precious 



232 ECHOES 

word, the more I saw the sinfulness of my 
soul. At first I doubted my salvation until I 
read the consoling passage: "The blood of 
Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all unrighteous- 
ness." These words were as healing balsam 
to my sorrowing soul, and with all possible 
strength I stormed the gates of heaven, and 
in due time the blessing was received and I 
became a rejoicing sinner in Christ Jesus my 
dearest Lord. 

C. M. 

Letter from W. W. 

I was born on the fourth day of November, 
1825, in one of the central counties of Ireland. 
My father died when I was twelve years old, 
a circumstance which necessitated the sep- 
aration of our family. My mother did not 
long survive those trials, and she also was 
called away to return no more. I was ap- 
prenticed to a saddler. I came to the Uni- 
ted States some twenty years ago and located 
in Ulster county, N. T. My career has alter- 
nated in the manner usual to a man without- 
earthly cares of any kind, and being of a live- 



FROM THE LIVING GKAVE. 233 

ly temperament I indulged freely in what is 
termed the " social glass," and have been 
subject to the influence of its contents, a pro- 
pensity that I now have no hesitation in pro- 
nouncing it an agent of my destruction, but I 
was not under its influence at the time of the 
commission of the crime for which I am now 
a prisoner. The receipt of certain informa- 
tion caused me to be more moderate in the 
use of the cup, but not until I had experi- 
enced the horrors of delirium tremens, and I 
keenly felt; "that it biteth like a serpent 
and stingeth like an adder," and my reasoning 
faculties had greatly suffered, so much so, 
that I sent a fellow-being to a premature 
grave. 

I was an inmate of the Ulster county jail 
for two years and nine months, during which 
time I was formally sentenced to death three 
different times. It was then that I became 
acquainted with the sublimity of. the Chris- 
tian religion. Key. W , and Mr. R , 

of Kingston, were indefatigable in their atten- 
tion to my spiritual wants, as were also many 

Christian ladies of that county. May God 

30 



234 ECHOES 

bless, and pour upon them the dew of his 
mercy for ever. 

Contemplate a being in my situation: On 
the eye of the day preceding the one which 
was to see me, as I then thought, launched 
into eternity in the most ignominious manner 
practiced by civilized nations, when from just 
beneath the window of my cell the sounds of 
the workingman's hammer, who was construct- 
ing the instrument of death, penetrating 
through the hall, sending a thrill of agony to 
my heart. "Who can imagine my misery ! Man 
proposes, but God disposes. Tes, it is that 
God whose ways are past finding out, who 
induced the chief magistrate of the state to 
commute my sentence to an imprisonment for 
life. I feel deeply grateful for this interposi- 
tion of the Executive clemency, and pray for 
its author. 

As yet, I was a stranger to vital religion, and 
I have often thought since then, had it pleased 
God to send me into eternity, I would have 
hurled defiance into the faces of my enemies 
from the fatal platform. The thought causes 
me to shudder as I pen it, and I bless God 



FROM THE LIVING GKAVE. 235 

for the change in my heart, and for leading me 
to feel as I now do regarding those scenes. 
Voltaire, Rousseau, and Payne, at one time 
made some impression on my mind and I 
was skeptically disposed as to the truths of 
the Bible. I owe it to early impressions, and 
precepts of a dear mother, that I did not be- 
come an active disciple of these confirmed 
infidels. 

I arrived here December 29, 1865, with a 
mind swayed hither and thither by contend- 
ing emotions. I resolved, however, God be- 
ing my helper, to live my remaining days 
closer to that Being whom I had so grievously 
offended ever since I was able to sin. I heard 
of a prosperous prayer-meeting, but did not 
attend it until I was repeatedly invited by 
some of its members. Finally, I ventured in, 
and am now free to confess that its weekly 
■exercises are both impressive and edifying. 
The interchange of religious sentiments and 
experience has a potent influence for good. 
It would be a great calamity to me should I 
be deprived of the privilege of attending these 
means of grace. I thank my heavenly Father 



236 ECHOES 

for what he has done for me. I feel an espe- 
cial delight in conversing with him and in 
studying his blessed word. Through all my 
life, sacred or spiritual exercises were dis- 
tasteful to me, but things are changed now. 
Old things have passed aw T ay ; all things have 
become new. Glory be to God. 

Some of my Christian Mends can mark the 
time and place where they were converted 
and transferred from the bondage of sin and 
Satan, to that liberty wherewith Christ hath 
made them free. I have not experienced any 
sudden manifestations, jet there is a very 
palpable fact in connection with my case : I 
love my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in 
sincerity and truth. I can believe and trust 
in him. Though I am vile and blood-stained, 
he will wash me from my sins, and cleanse 
me from ail my wickedness. Yes, his sacri- 
ficial atonement is fully efficacious to save to 
the uttermost all that come to God through 
him. I came, and he has not cast me out, 
neither will he refuse to listen to others, but 
will embrace all in his arms of love. He ever 
live th to make intercession for us, and I feel 



FB-OM THE LIVING GHAVE. 237 

that he has prepared a mansion even for me, 
the chief of sinners. W. W. 



Letter from I. R. 

Dear Brother: I have great cause to be 
thankful to God, for I was sentenced to be ex- 
ecuted after the expiration of twelve months' 
imprisonment, for murder in the first degree. 
I entered this prison in a very gloomy state 
of mind. I felt the bitterness of my portion, 
which an Allwise Providence dealt out to me. 
It seemed to surpass my strength. I was 
poor and friendless and my soul was desolate, 
yet my faith, although y/eak, had not quite 
forsaken me. I was still trusting in that God 
who had rescued me from an immediate death 
upon the scaffold. Without his special grace 
I would doubtless have found my doom in 
the gulf of despair. My hours of sorrow were 
many and long, and life seemed at times an 
intolerable burden. One night, while nour- 
ishing my sorrow and looking into the dark 
future, lamenting and feeling myself the most 
unhappy and miserable creature under the sun, 



238 ECHOES 

an inward voice whispered, "Look to Jesus, 
whether yon are guilty or innocent; he will 
be your friend." I pictured the crucifixion 
to my mind, and saw how he died on the 
cross, how he suffered, and how great his 
agony was, how he prayed for his enemies, 
and how he sweat great drops of blood in the 
garden. All these facts presented themselves 
to my mental view — and oh, how trifling did 
my affliction appear in comparison to those 
of my dying Saviour. Had I been executed, 
although innocent of the crime I am accused 
of, I would not have suffered as innocently 
as he did, for I was, and am still, exceedingly 
vile and sinful, and my just reward would be, 
eternal punishment, whereas he is infinitely 
holy. I did not hesitate any longer ; I came 
to Jesus with a single eye and an humble 
heart ; sad and mournful I cast myself at his 
feet and sought his forgiveness. From that 
moment my heart was made glad, and I was 
happy in my Saviour. I found a resting- 
place — a sure haven — safe from all the tem- 
pests of the world. I found new strength in 
Christ to bear my lot with resignation and 



FROM THE LIVING GKAVE. 239 

patience, and I am armed with a new and 
strong faith, that the Lord would yet vindi- 
cate my "Eights" and make me come out in 
the end triumphant over my enemies. 

My heavenly Father sends me daily bless- 
ings. He has raised me out of the horrible 
pit, he has placed me on a rock, and given me 
Christian friends to help and sympathize with 
me. These friends are living monuments of 
God's infinite goodness — mercies wdiich he is 
ever extending to those of his creatures, who 
with sincere and contrite hearts endeavor to 
wait upon him. 

The weekly prayer-meetings in this prison 
were and are a great source of spiritual en- 
joyment to me. There I meet those of my 
brothers who praise and glorify the Lord 
through his beloved Son our Redeemer, in 
whom I delight. They are a fountain of 
blessings, and are productive of much good. 
My vessels were always filled there, from 
which I draw day after day, during the whole 
week. 

In conclusion, I must say from the abun- 
dance of my heart, that my soul is filled with 



240 ECHOES 

peace, and my spirit rejoices in the Lord my 
Saviour. I. r. 

Lettep^from J. R. D. 

Deae Fkiend : I deeply lament that I should 
be the occasion of so much sorrow and grief 
to my parents, brethren, and friends. The 
past I cannot recall, and would not if I could ; 
but, dear friend, I am anxious to fix the im- 
pression upon your mind, that by the mercy 
of God, through conviction, contrition, and 
conversion, I have been rescued from the 
burning. My afflictions have taught me many 
excellent lessons, for which I am thankful to 
the great Head of the church. Without these 
"stripes," in all probability I would be a 
slave to sin to-day. I can adopt the lan- 
guage of the great apostle, and say from my 
heart, "These light afflictions are working 
out for me a far more exceeding and eternal 
weight of glory." It has been good for me 
to be afflicted. Like the prodigal Son, I had 
left my father's house ; my foolish and wicked 
heart drove me off into a far country, and 
among strangers. I was famishing and hun- 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 241 

gry. I was lost and wretched. All at once 
light flashed upon my mind. I saw my con- 
dition, and said to myself, " My Father's ser- 
vants have bread enough and to spare, while 
I perish with hunger ; I will arise and go to 
my Father, perhaps he will have pity on me, 
and receive me again." Blessed be his holy 
name, I have not been disappointed. My 
reception at my Father's mansion was all my 
poor, sin-stricken soul could desire, and a 
great deal moz:e than I could bear. In this 
painful episode I have been taught my weak- 
ness and frailty, and also my dependence on 
my dear Saviour, as the anchor of all my 
hopes. I am glad to assure you that I pos- 
sess a Pearl of great price, and would not 
exchange it for all the wealth of the universe. 
It is so excellent and precious that all else is 
poverty. I cherish the anticipation at some 
future time, of giving my beloved ones a fair 
demonstration of my attachment to the cross 
which I have taken up, never again to lay it 
down. * Oh, the crown of glory which is laid 
up for me, how precious, how darling it looks ! 
My daily language is : Lord, what wilt thou 

Erhoe9. 31 



242 ECHOES 

have me to do? So far as I Iiave ability to 
execute his orders by doing his will, it shall 
be done, for I owe him a debt which I can 
never pay. I was sick with a deadly leprosy, 
and he cured me. I was ignorant, and he in- 
structed me and gave me wisdom. I was 
afflicted, and he became my comforter. I was 
in prison, and he came to me and gave me joy 
for sorrow, love for hatred, pleasure for pain, 
and a heart of flesh for a heart of stone. I 
was downcast and distressed, and he bound up 
my broken heart, and put a new song into my 
mouth. I was dead, and he made me alive 
again, and gave me precious manna for my 
hungry soul. He led me to still waters, and 
I am feasting upon his bounty most effect- 
ually. 

Glory be to his holy name, for he has done 
it all, and I will praise him for ever, and for 
ever. J. K. D. 

Letter from J. L. W. 

I was a child of sin of the worst kind. 
Saloons of various kinds, drinking, gambling, 
and other vices were the elements in which I 



FEOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 243 

loved to dwell. I went on and on, until I 
found myself in prison. It was here that the 
Lord opened ray eyes and showed me how 
vile a creature I am. Shortly after I arrived 
here, my dear old mother sent me a Testa- 
ment with her likeness affixed to it. This, for 
the first time in my manhood, brought tears 
to my eyes, and I humbled myself before 
God, praying that my hard heart might be 
softened, my burden removed, my sins for- 
given, and my peace with God established. 
I prayed until he heard me and the peace of 
Christ flowed into my soul in large streams. 
The chaplain was greatly instrumental in my 
progress. He sympathized with me, and show- 
ed me that good might come out of evil, and 
requested me to attend the prayer-meetings 
to which I readily consented, for I was indeed 
tired of my hell-faring life. Knowing that 
my praying mother was unceasingly wres- 
tling with the angel of the covenant for my 
salvation, I took courage and finally ob- 
tained that peace of soul which Jesus prom- 
ised to leave with his disciples. And now I 
feel that I have a friend indeed. Mv sins 



2U ECHOES 

are forgiven and I am a happy man in Christ 
Jesus, j. l. W. 

Letter from. J. W. 

I was born in Ireland. In early boyhood 
I deserted my parents, and followed the rough 
life of the sea-faring man. I have seen almost 
every seaport town, in the known world, civ- 
ilized and pagan. I have been a most fear- 
ful and profane man, hardly ever uttering a 
sentence from the abundance of my sinful 
heart, without using God's holy name in vain. 
I have violated each and every one of the ten 
commandments and every precept of the 
divine law, and if there was ever a demon in 
the flesh, it was I. Yes, I was the one. 

The vilest of the vile, I entered into this 
life of confinement. I had battled against 
elements of nature and was more or less 
always successful, but stone and iron proved 
too much for me. I found myself out gen- 
erated, my courage began to fail, my haughty 
spirit was somewhat humbled, and I became 
an object of extreme misery. Thus, I passed 



FKOM THE LIVING GKAVE. 245 

several weeks in solitary confinement, until at 
last I contemplated how I might best put an 
end to my sufferings, when finally my situa- 
tion was changed, and I was removed to a 
workshop. Here I found a few sympathizing- 
fellow sufferers who persuaded me to attend 
the meetings for prayer. I followed them to 
the house of God, and there I found that my 
inner man was craving for something I did 
not then possess. By degrees the scales fell 
from my eyes, and perchance I saw that I 
was the greatest sinner that ever lived. My 
innumerable sins and transgressions arose 
like high mountains before me, and it seemed 
as if they were going to crush me. I learned 
to pray, and was told, that none but Jesus can 
do helpless sinners good. Jesus, whose holy 
name I have so often and so shamefully mis- 
used, and whom I had so grievously offended 
from my youth up, was to become my helper 
and my solace. My heart turned against this 
doctrine for some time, until I found that 
there was no other chance, that there was no 
other name given under heaven, by which 
men might be saved. I submitted to his 



246 ECHOES 

constraining love; I plead his merits and 
mercy, and lie was pleased to speak peace to 
my troubled soul. He transformed me from 
a swearing into a praying man. Glory be to 
God for it. j. w. 

Letter from J. T. 

I was in the British regular army for five 
and a half years; served two years in the 
Auxiliary legion with General Evans in Spain, 
where we assisted in placing the late queen 
on the throne, during the years 1835 and 1837. 
I also served three and a half years in some 
other parts of the world under the same flag, 
which I at last deserted, and came to this 
country. In the army I acquired a taste for 
liquors and other bad habits. But when I 
came to the city of New York, I abstained 
from drinking and outward bad habits, was 
strictly sober, and apparently upright and 
honest. I attended church, was religiously 
inclined, and was prosperous. I thought my- 
self strong enough to resist evil, trusted in 
my own experience, wisdom, and strength, but 



FROM THE LIVING GRAVE. 247 

knew not the strength of Satan. About this 
time I became acquainted with my present 
wife. Her brother was a man of piety, well 
known, and of large influence in the Chris- 
tian community. This man was continually 
laboring for my salvation, desired me to sign 
the pledge, and prayed with and for me. He 

was twenty-four years a member of Dr. S 's 

church, and for a brief period a member of the 
Aiitioeh and Bloomingdale Baptist church. I 
listened very attentively to my brother-in-law's 
entreaties, and thought they were very good ; 
but his kind words did not reach my heart 
with sufficient force, and again I became ha- 
bituated to drinking. Believing that rum and 
religion cannot go together, I dropped one, 
but k), it was the wrong one. The house of 
God was forsaken, the Bible given up, vari- 
ous vices vfere practiced, I became as bad as 
ever, and was finally discharged from employ- 
ment. I commenced buying stolen goods 
cheap for cash, from which I realized a large 
profit. This, however, would not last very 
long. The watchful eye of Providence was 
upon me, and the blessing of God seemed to 



248 ECHOES 

have forsaken me. I was arrested, plead 
guilty, that I might not implicate others of 
whom I had purchased, and to whom I had 
sold the stolen property. I had the strongest 
recommendations ever brought into a court- 
room to establish a good character, and the 
judge was astonished to see me in such a 
place under such circumstances, until one 
word explained all — drink ! 

On my arrival here I w^as very miserable ; 
had no friends to visit me ; seemed to be de- 
spised, abandoned, and lost. At length I 
commenced looking at myself, and found that 
I might better my lot by making Christ my 
friend. I did so. God showed me mercy ; he 
took away my heart of stone, and gave me a 
heart of flesh. I became converted at this 
late hour — aged 50 years — and I can now 
pray from my soul that the Lord may ad- 
vance his glorious kingdom and destroy the 
kingdom of darkness, and especially that 
liquid of hell, to which I had so long been 
subject, and which has kept me away from 
God and happiness. All things, although I 
am in prison, are exceedingly well with me. I 



FKOM THE LIVING GRAVE. 249 

have sweet peace of mind, and feel that Jesus 
is mine and I am his. Prison experience has 
been blessed in establishing me in a new ca- 
reer, and with the grace of God I will enter 
upon a new life, ever beholding the prize 
before me — a glorious crown, ever thanking 
him for his mercy. 

J.I. 



250 ECHOES, 



"Direct 
us, O Lord, in all 
our doings, with, thy most 
gracious favor, and further us 
with thy continual help ; that in all our 
works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we 
may glorify thy holy name, and finally, 
by thy mercy, obtain everlast- 
ing life ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord." 
Amen. 



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